^5 



money, the Church Fund, ^250,000, the want was likely 

 to be supplied, and he had no doubt as a consequence very 

 important fishery enterprises would be established. It was 

 quite out of the question for men to think of getting boats 

 suitable for fishing in those tempestuous seas, if there were 

 not adequate harbours to seek shelter in. Another im- 

 portant point as mentioned by Mr. Walsh was the great 

 inconvenience and loss which in the south of Ireland a fleet 

 was put to by being obliged to come into harbour with each 

 cargo of fish, and there was no doubt that an immense 

 improvement would be made if steam power were employed. 

 That, however, must be a matter of private enterprise. All 

 that the Government could be expected to do was to 

 provide the means for harbours. Then he spoke of the 

 great want of more suitable boats and gear, but there were 

 two sources of supply now in operation. The inspectors of 

 fisheries had a fund of ^500,000, from which fishermen 

 could borrow at very moderate interest for the purpose of 

 supplying boats and gear. Since that fund had been in 

 operation, the inspectors of fisheries had lent out about 

 ^50,000 to the fishermen of Ireland, and, very much to the 

 credit of those men, the whole of that sum had been paid 

 back with the exception of about ;^ 1,000, and even that very 

 small sum would not now be outstanding if adequate 

 means had been taken for its recovery. Besides that, there 

 was a Society in Dublin which had ^30,000 or ;^40,000 at 

 its disposal for the same purpose. An important provision 

 had been introduced last year, enabling the inspectors 

 instead of lending money to advance it in the shape of boats 

 and gear which was a great improvement, because he was 

 afraid some of the money was often aj^plied to very useful 

 purposes, such as portioning their daughters, paying rent, 

 enclosing land, and such like. Now the borrowers were 



