486 THE BOARD OF WHITE-FISHERIES. 



notices from curers on shore of their intention to cure ; to see 

 to the measures for the delivery of fresh herring, as between 

 buyer and seller ; to the size of the barrel for British white 

 cured herring, and to the quality of the cure, branding the 

 first quality, and collecting the fees for the same ; attending 

 on the exportation ; to inspect the exports in order to see that 

 they were in proper order ; preventing the use of such nets as 

 Parliament had declared to be illegal ; protecting the sprat 

 fishermen in their rights of boundary ; maintaining order on 

 the fishery grounds, and in connection therewith carrying out 

 the police regulations for naming and numbering boats and 

 their sails ; receiving and restoring lost fishing property ; 

 building fishery piers and harbours ; protecting the spawn of 

 herring and the herring-fisheries generally, according to Act 

 of Parliament ; maintaining herring close-time as fixed and 

 appointed by Parliament ; furnishing returns and statistics of 

 the herring-fisheries of Scotland and the Isle of Man, and aid- 

 ing in maintaining the fishery convention with France. The 

 functions of the Board extended over the whole coast of Scot- 

 land, and in regard to statistics to the Isle of Man, and in 

 respect to the branding of herring over the northern portion 

 of the coast of Northumberland." 



Might not the functions of the Board be so extended as to 

 embrace a statistical inquiry into the capture of haddocks, cod, 

 and ling (other than those to be cured), turbot, etc., in Scotland? 

 We all agree heartily enough in Scotland with the Board's 

 functions of harbour improvement and fishery police, and we 

 do not grudge, therefore, in any degree, the 15,000 which are 

 expended for its maintenance. Scotland gets so small a 

 portion of the public money in proportion to what it con- 

 tributes to the revenue that no one would desire to see it 

 deprived of this small grant. The only question connected 

 with it is its proper expenditure. I object entirely to a 

 portion of the duties of the Board i.e. certifying the quality 



