FRANCE 135 



supervision that the pecuniary results of this licensing- have made 

 possible without the State having to pay for the numerous water 

 bailiffs appointed for the purpose. The question arises whether so 

 simple and effective an organisation is applicable to France. I fancy 

 that it is, and the partition into districts, as in Switzerland and 

 Elngland, looked after by special inspectors, would assuredly be a 

 step in the direction of the ever - increasing prosperity of these 

 countries. 



Many agents are commissioned in France, but the only special 

 agents are the fishery keepers. Their number, for the whole of 

 France, is limited to ;^t,t„ so that these ^^^ have to look after some- 

 thing like 4,000,000 kilometres. 



It will thus be seen that supervision is practically impossible, 



although the forest rangers paid by the State have of late had their 



duties increased by the business of repressing offences 



against the fishery laws. This lack of proper sur- ^ 



"^ ^ ^ Permits. 



veillance, pointed out by all officials who have charge 

 of the fisheries, is no less debatable than the vast importation of 

 foreign fish, supplying more than three-quarters of our markets, in spite 

 of the cost of carriage. Would the introduction of fishing permits 

 in France be an unpopular measure ? These facts prove the contrary. 

 Many petitions have been framed with this object, and societies 

 numbering thousands of adherents have been formed. All the facts 

 point to the disappearance of fish from our rivers. A large associa- 

 tion has been formed at Paris. All who know point out that the fish 

 are dwindling so rapidly that, unless some precautions are taken, 

 angling, that sport that so delights Parisians and gives pleasure to 



