ty) 
the country at large when they arrived at maturity. 
With regard to what had been said about fishermen 
not being able to get a living in consequence of the scarcity 
of fish, he might say that he could not agree with that, 
because when fish got scarce the price went up, and it would 
pay a fisherman just as well if he got sixpence for one fish, 
as it would if he got sixpence for three. No doubt the 
question was one which affected poor people, as they were 
now only able to get for one-and-sixpence what at one 
time they obtained for sixpence. He had known £15 paid 
for a box of soles; this large price was caused by the use 
by fishermen of a small-mesh net. The sole was usually 
found in the southernmost parts of the North Sea. The 
subject of nets was one which demanded the consideration 
of an International Conference, because the nets in use in 
the United Kingdom would bear no comparison with those 
in use by the fishermen of Belgium and France, which were 
of so small a mesh that he could not put his finger through 
it at the cod end. When the trawl was at the bottom of 
the sea the fish went underneath the square before they got 
into it, and if the mesh was large enough they would 
certainly swim out, especially the sole ; but, if it was not 
of course it was impossible for a small fish to get out. 
As one gentleman had asked whether fish recuperated as 
fast as it was caught, he might say that at one time he 
firmly believed that all kinds of fish were able to reproduce 
in about five years, but he thought it was impossible to 
come to any satisfactory conclusion unless you had the 
fish under your own eyes from the time they were in the 
egg until the time they were able to reproduce themselves. 
If plaice had sufficient recuperative power they would not 
diminish so quickly as they now did. He considered that 
a plaice would not get to full size under six or seven years, 
