EVOLUTION OF THE FRENCH FISHERIES 309 



in ordinary partnership, outnumber the companies in 

 the proportion of five to one. 



VI 



The splendid beginnings of steam-trawling lasted only 

 for a day. Pomona was powerless to keep the promises 

 of Flora ; for more than one fruit was nipped by a late- 

 coming frost. I have spoken of a crisis in the trawling 

 world. Some eighteen months ago the orders for steam 

 trawlers and the purchases fell off; and the demand 

 having lessened, the prices fell. I will briefly review the 

 causes of this crisis, dividing them into two classes 

 internal and external causes. 



As for the internal causes, it is enough to recall the 

 difficulties of all sorts which the steam-trawling industry 

 had to encounter at the very outset. Once the first 

 victory was won, the owners had to wait while their 

 men served a new apprenticeship, and of course had to 

 raise their wages. Moreover, the first attempts were ex- 



a hard struggle with foreign competition, especially in the matter of 

 the herring fishery. These subsidies have hitherto usually taken 

 the form of grants for the purchase of motors or the replacement 

 of lost or damaged nets. Recently the Imperial Government has 

 decided to grant subsidies to encourage the installation of wireless 

 telegraphy on board the larger fishing-boats. Experiments have 

 proved that wireless telegraphy is capable of rendering the greatest 

 services to fishermen, as the German Observatory can not only warn 

 them of approaching storms, but can also furnish them with useful 

 information as to the state of the market and the opportunities which 

 it may offer, which enables the fishermen to take their catches to the 

 ports in which the prices are highest at the moment. 



In consideration of this double advantage safety for the crews 

 and a remunerative market for their wares the Government has 

 determined that any fishing boat which installs an apparatus for 

 transmitting and receiving wireless messages, which apparatus is 

 estimated to cost ^300, will receive a bounty amounting to half that 

 sum. (Note by M. Benfre, French Consul in Germany.) 



