[3] THE LOFFODEN FISHERY IN I860. 535 



In the report of last year, pages 5 to 9, as well as in the estimate for 

 1881, I set forth strongly the necessity of an increased appropriation, 

 partly because the inspection force is at present inadequate for the 

 greatly increased labor of late years, partly because the wages are too 

 low, absolutely as well as relatively to the requirements which ought to 

 be found in the personnel of the inspection, and in part because many 

 expenses, such as hoisting signals, placing beacons, lodging for the men, 

 together with printing the report, amounted to not a little. I cannot 

 sufficiently insist upon it that the claim which has been made for an 

 increased appropriation has not been called forth by a desire to make 

 the inspection more absolutely effective, but it is based upon the neces- 

 sity of taking such measures as will prevent its retrograding as an insti- 

 tution, and it is doing this now, because the increased number of people 

 and the exigencies of the times demand a larger force as well as increased 

 capability and activity in it. From Table II it will be seen that while 

 the proportion between the inspecting force and the total number of fish- 

 ermen, mariners, and other tradesmen was, from 1861 to 1862, as 1 to 500, 

 it was in 1880 as 1 to 840. 



Under the last two heads are given the cost of the inspection, which 

 has always been set forth as so considerable, deducting what was paid 

 into the treasury in the shape of fines or for telegrams. Herefrom it 

 will be seen that this has been from .82 to 1.33 crowns (22 cents to 36 

 cents) for each adult male who has been present during the fishing. 

 If one compares the expenses of the inspection with the other expenses 

 during the fishery he will find out that last year the loss of implements 

 was 83 times as great as the cost of inspection ; the cost of bait was 10 

 times as great as the cost of inspection ; the wear and tear of skin- 

 clothing was 10 times as great as the cost of inspection; the wear and 

 tear of bed-clothing was twice as great as the cost of inspection. 



If we remember that the inspection, whose operations include vessels 

 in Loffoden, together with the mercantile class in many parts of the coun- 

 try, never costs one-half as much as the wear and tear of the fishermen's 

 bed-clothing may be estimated at, the sum of 23,000 crowns ($0,161) 

 seems insignificant. In comparison with the duties its cost was nearly 

 the same as the import duties uj)on the sugar and coffee which were con- 

 sumed during the fishing, and a couple of thousand crowns ($536) less 

 than the duties upon fish imported. 



Some have thought that the inspecting party might facilitate its 

 work by associating with it a voluntary inspection by the people simi- 

 lar to that established at Sondmore by a law of June 6, 1878. The chief 

 duty of this inspection shall, according to law, consist in "seeking by 

 injunction and warning to prevent as far as possible" violation of law 

 at sea. How far the public morals will be improved hereby is, however, 

 doubtful, for it is not through ignorance or lack of warning that offenses 

 are committed at sea,butbecausethe fisherman knows that it is extremely 

 difficult to get full proof of them. Even if information to the jiolice be 



