COMMITTEE B — DECEMBER 1903 ( 40 ) 
required. He had been slightly surprised to find the matter on the agenda, as he 
believed that it should be settled by the convener and himself. 
Mr. Garsrane said that if he understood rightly, the primary object of the 
Committee was to ensure the early settlement of the more practical questions 
included in the Christiania Programme while making adequate provision for the 
execution of the complete programme. He had accepted the office of Convener 
on this understanding, and had given, and was prepared to give, all possible time 
and thought to the realisation of that end. The investigation of the under-sized 
fish question was laid upon them as a primary object of their labours; but m view 
of the special interest expressed by his Government in this question, he had felt 
that it would have been improper for him to reply formally to the letter from the 
Bureau to which reference had been made, without the previous support of the 
Committee. He had therefore hoped that the Committee would at that meeting 
express an opinion upon the proposals which he had made to them in his opening 
remarks. The settlement of that question of principle would clear the ground for 
a definite reply to the Bureau on the points specified in their letter. He was 
quite prepared, if the Committee thought fit, to lay before them the outlines of a 
reply, which would, however, be dependent upon the extent to which they were 
prepared to make a special exploration of the small fish grounds in the course of 
the next year. 
For the settlement of the latter point it would be impossible to wait longer 
than the February meeting at Hamburg. In the meantime it had been suggested 
to him that he might reply to the Bureau without further discussion. If the Com- 
mittee preferred that course he was prepared to adopt it. 
Dr. Horx said that from the commencement the question of Govern- 
mental statistics had been considered by the Bureau; and he thought, that the 
question could easily be settled by the Convener and the Bureau. He, therefore 
asked the Committee not to further discuss the subject but to request Mr. GARSTANG 
to answer the points raised in his letter of October. 
This course was agreed to, and the Convener was requested to hale direct 
to the Bureau. 
Dr. Fuiron proposed that the scientific vessels should put surface drift 
bottles overboard in places where many pelagic eggs were found, in order to 
trace the probable drift of the eggs. 
It was resolved that such experiments were highly desirable. 
