115 



to their revival, furnishes a conclusive argument against it; for, 

 if bounties were capable of accomplishing any permanent good, 

 the necessity for their continuance ought to have ceased in those 

 countries long since." 



GRANTS FOR FISHERMEN'S HARBOURS. In 1824 grants of 500 

 a year to Ireland and to Scotland were directed to be applied 

 for materials to repair the boats of poor men, where piers should 

 be built ; the residue to the building or repair of piers and quays, 

 where one-fourth of the expense was defrayed by parties locally 

 interested. In 1830, 13,000 was appropriated for completing 

 piers in this kingdom : but no provision was made for their 

 maintenance, and several had become very dilapidated. 



" The policy of applying public money in aid of any branch 

 of industry, however unsound and pernicious on general princi- 

 ples, has, nevertheless, been deemed wise and beneficial, when 

 adopted for the promotion of objects in which the interests of 

 the community and of the poorer classes are more concerned 

 than those of individual capitalists such as the improvement of 

 harbours and rivers, to facilitate general commerce, and also 

 (the Commissioners submit) the providing of harbour accommo- 

 dations for fishermen. There are various accommodations 

 required by fishermen, which are peculiar to their trade, which 

 their own means are insufficient to provide, and in which land- 

 lords or other capitalists have not a sole pecuniary interest 

 sufficient to induce an outlay for providing them : such as piers, 

 boat-slips with capstans, moorings, harbour-lanthorns, with sheds 

 or stores for sails and other uses connected with the fisheries. 

 Heretofore a portion of such accommodations has been provided 

 by grants of public money, in aid of local contributions; but the 

 Commissioners are of opinion, that all should be provided on the 

 same principle, wherever they may be requisite; whether the 

 local contributions shall be made in money, subscribed by indivi- 

 duals, or assessed on the localities, or made in materials supplied 

 by the fishermen." 



Leading lines of public communication w r ere frequently required 

 to these harbours, which the Commissioners conceived should be 

 provided for on the same principle as the harbour expenditure. 



The fact is then adverted to that where the voluntary prin- 

 ciple had prevailed, piers had been erected on those sites only 

 for which local proprietors were willing to contribute, which 

 were not always the sites calculated the most perfectly to insure 

 the purpose. 



GRANTS TO FISHERMEN. These, as alluded to in the preceding 

 section as distributed in Scotland and Ireland, were stated to be 

 given in the former country in very small amounts; and only 

 once in three years to the same person; yet were said, though 

 subject to occasional abuse, to have a very beneficial operation. 



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