74 
ject, and the evidence pointed to the fact that the loss 
of life occurred most in the ferrying of fish from the catchers 
to the carriers, though he thought. that that loss had been 
very much exaggerated, and that in many instances the 
hands had been washed overboard, or knocked overboard 
by the boom or the tiller. The question of the ferrying 
was not in the minds of the Committee so serious as they 
anticipated when the inquiry was first opened. The Exe- 
cutive of the Exhibition had received an order from Mr. 
Edwards, of Lowestoft, of a prize of £60 for the best 
smack’s boat for the conveyance of fish from the smack 
to the steam-carrier, but the Jurors had inserted a very 
important clause in their report to the effect that there 
was not one boat in the Exhibition which they con- 
sidered worthy of the special prize. He was sure that 
that was a disappointment not only to Mr. Edwards, 
but* to the Executive and the public vat large. y Phe 
Committee also considered whether there was any dress 
which might be worn by fishermen who were employed 
in the boats, and the result of their inquiries at various 
ports led them to the conclusion that although cork 
jackets were provided by the owners the men would not 
wear them for fear of being laughed at by their fellow-men. 
That was an unfortunate state of things. The crews of 
life-boats were compelled to wear cork jackets, and, there- 
fore, he thought the owners of smacks should compel their 
men to do the same. With regard to the question of har- 
bour accommodation, that was a subject which had been 
ventilated by the Select Committee of last Session, and the 
only point to which he would allude was one of paramount 
importance, viz., that the Government should allow more 
convict labour to be employed in constructing harbours of 
refuge to give the fishing community that accommodation 
