228 THE RELATIONS OF THE STATE WITH 



welfare of the State generally, is provided for them in- 

 directly, it is none the less in fact or in intent promoted 

 for their advantage. 



As an example of this, and of the further fact that an 

 artificial stimulus becomes no longer necessary when once 

 a nation has experienced the large profits to be derived 

 from an industry the advantages of which in its infancy 

 were not fully anticipated, the legislation which has related 

 to bounties may here be cited. By enactments of George III. 

 varying bounties, in some cases amounting to 3 a ton on 

 the tonnage of every boat or fishing buss equipped, in others 

 not exceeding .30,000 for the whole year's State outlay, 

 were granted in proportion to fish caught, provided the 

 barrels containing them were branded. In the subsequent 

 reign these bounties were abolished, but the necessity for 

 branding the barrels was retained in certain cases. By 

 the legislation of 1858, so far as Scotland is concerned, a 

 charge of 4^. per barrel was authorised to defray the 

 expense of this branding. A consideration of our general 

 legislative policy which is now opposed both to bounties 

 and to loans, because, amongst other reasons, of the diffi- 

 culty of regulating their distribution in proportion to the 

 actual deserts of those entitled to them, need not here be 

 entered upon. It may, however, be stated that in 1867 

 such political economists as Mr. J. S. Mill and Professor 

 Fawcett supported a Bill authorising loans to Irish fisher- 

 men because " Ireland was a more backward country 

 than either Scotland or England." From the facts, how- 

 ever, preceding the above discursion on the subject of 

 legislative policy in regard to bounties and loans, the 

 rapid progress of the fishing industry during the past 

 century and a half may be accurately gauged. In the 

 first stage an artificial stimulus is found to be held neces- 



