4 FISHERIES OF THE NORTH SEA 



into the Arctic seas in a fishing trawler, 

 to imagine winter time off the coast of 

 Iceland, when most of the day is night and 

 most of the water is ice. Who can with 

 justice object to the freedom of the seas ? 

 And if a rent should be paid, who should 

 receive it ? Not the British Government ; 

 for many, and the most important, of 

 these seas adjoin the coasts of Iceland, 

 Norway, and Russia. If the Government 

 interferes with the present progressive 

 condition of our fisheries, the industry 

 might soon be in the plight in which the 

 home French fisheries find themselves as 

 a result of the care of their State. The 

 individual British fisherman produces five 

 times as much fish as the French fisherman. 

 Let us rather profit from our neighbour's 

 example, and avoid interference with an 

 industry which is almost entirely de- 

 pendent on the individual effort and 

 technical knowledge of the workers. No 

 State bounties are required, for the British 

 fisherman is sufficiently independent ; no 

 taxes are wanted, for the consumer of the 

 product would eventually have to pay 

 them. If, in the future, the industry is 



