SQ2 SCOTLAND 



of Scotland have divided the Scottish Coast into three districts, namely, (l) the East Coast 

 Eyemouth, Leith, Anstruther, Montrose, Stonehaven, Aberdeen, Peterhead, Fraserburgh, 

 Banff, Buckie, Findhorn, Cromarty, Helmsdale and Wick. (2) Orkney and Shetland. 

 (3) West Coast Loch Broom, Skye, Fort William, Loch Fyne, Campbeltown, Rothesay, 

 Greenock, Ballantrae, Stornoway and Barrow. The tonnage of boats belonging to those 

 divisions is as follows: East Coast, 101,721; Orkney and Shetland, 22,517; West Coast, 

 15.735. a total of 139,973. While the Fishery Board has rendered good service to .the 

 industry the undoubted grievances of native fishermen in regard to foreign trawling remains 

 unremedied. The Scottish Board in 1885 obtained statutory powers to close portions of the 

 territorial waters against trawling, and a large area of east coast waters was closed in the 

 interests of scientific experiment. It was found that the closing of those waters gave great 

 satisfaction to both line and drift fishermen, and as the Board were anxious to encourage 

 development of those methods of fishing in preference to beam trawling, they secured further 

 powers under the Herring Fishing Act of 1889, which enabled them to close against all forms 

 of trawling not only the whole territorial waters of the Scotch coast but a large number of 

 areas defined in the Scheduled Act as lying outside the territorial waters, properly so called. 

 Among those scheduled areas were the Moray Firth, and the Firth of Clyde. By inter- 

 national law the power of a state to make regulations with regard to methods of fishing is 

 limited to its territorial waters. There are a number of regulations existing with regard to 

 the fishing boats working in the North Sea, but these regulations have been made under 

 International Conventions, and are to be only obeyed by the subjects of the high contract- 

 ing states. But apparently Parliament can make regulations which are only obligatory to 

 British fishing vessels. Hence, while the latter cannot trawl within the Firth of Clyde, or 

 the Moray Firth except in a very limited area, foreign trawlers may fish anywhere in the 

 considerable area which lies outside the area known to International Law as Scottish ter- 

 ritorial water. Thus Dutch and Norwegian vessels at Fleetwood fish in the Clyde. Some 

 of them are doubtless bond fide foreign boats, but for the most part they are English vessels 

 registered either in Norway or Holland. Foreign trawlers find it convenient to work Scot- 

 tish waters and to land their catches in Fleetwood, and they are enabled to do so owing to a 

 flaw in the Herring Fishing Act of 1889. A slight amendment prohibiting the landing of 

 fish in England as well as in Scotland by such vessels, would remedy the difficulty. 



The fishing fleet comprises 9889 vessels with an aggregate tonnage of 139,973 and a total 

 value of equipment and fishing gear amounting to 5,000,028, the number of persons em- 

 ployed in the Scottish fishing trade, and industries subsidiary thereto is 92,060, and of those 

 39,208 man the fleet, the remainder being engaged in operations on shore. Eleven vessels, 

 employing 424 men, 145 of whom are British, are engaged in whaling. In 1911, 730 whales 

 were landed, and the value of the products amounted to 71,223. The outstanding feature 

 is the continued decline in the number of boats, the quantity and value of the gear, and the 

 numbers employed in the industry. The cause of this decline is chiefly due to the replace- 

 ment of sailing boats by steam and motor driven vessels, but fishing, like agricultural, com- 

 munities have suffered considerably from the drain of emigration. It is difficult to get 

 fishermen to divulge their earnings, but the following figures may be regarded as authentic, 

 relating to a particular Scottish district: Steam trawlers (highest) 1610, (lowest) 900, 

 (average) 1388; Motor Boats (highest) 1610, (lowest) 600, (average) 973; Sailing 

 Boats (highest) 910, (lowest) 120, (average) 412. The output of sailing boats steadily 

 declines, the number of vessels constructed in 1911 being 164, valued at 7940, compared 

 with 193 valued at 8334 in the previous year. The total quantity of fish, exclusive of shell 

 fish, landed in Scotland was 8,709,655 cwts. valued at 3,100,387. Compared with 1910 

 this shows an increase of 1,286,470 cwts. and an increased value of 211,280, the second 

 highest result on record. In 191 1, 1,767,544 barrels of herring were exported, 311,188 being 

 "Crown" branded. The total of cod, ling, and dried fish exported was 104,058 cwts., 

 nearly all to Ireland. The total salmon carried on Scottish railways was 27,390 cwts. 



Railways. The profit earning capacity of the Scottish railways has declined, due in 

 large measure to the development of the tramway enterprise and the increased use of motor 

 cars. Through the industrial parts of the country there is now a complete system of tram- 

 way communication, linking districts many miles apart. The extent of the tramway under- 

 taking may be gathered from the fact that the passengers carried in 1911 numbered 276,- 

 745.475- The effect on railway enterprise is obvious, and in order to meet the competition 

 the different Railway Companies recently came to an arrangement which has resulted in a 

 considerable curtailment of competing trains, and a general increase in passenger fares. 

 The most important decision in railway law in 191 1 -1 2 was that given by the Railway Com- 

 missioners sitting in Edinburgh, on the demurrage case brought by the Scottish traders 

 against the principal companies. The decision was almost entirely in favour of the Com- 

 panies, and its importance lies in the fact that it gives them full use of their wagons for their 

 legitimate purpose, thus setting loose a large capital, previously locked up in rolling stock, 

 which had virtually been seized by the trader as free storage accommodation. 



The Scottish railways are behind those of England in regard to electrification, a begin- 

 ning not yet having been made. On the other hand a series of successful experiments were 

 carried out with a small electrical driven vessel, and it is probable that the next step will be 



