THE BRITISH FISH TRADE. 27 



protective duties of Germany. The increased attention, 

 which both Dutch and Norwegian fishermen are paying to 

 the cure, is being rewarded by a constantly increasing sale 

 of Dutch and Norwegian herrings in German markets.* 



In the past all three nations have taken exceptional 

 measures to secure the sale of their own fish. The Dutch, 

 Norwegian, and British Governments have been in the 

 habit of branding the barrels in which the herrings are 

 packed ; and the brand has been taken as a guarantee 

 both of the quantity as well as of the quality of the fish. 

 In Scotland the brand is a survival of the bounty system. 

 The bounty was paid on each barrel of herrings branded, 

 and the brand was retained after the bounty had been 

 abolished. 



A system, which has no example in any other industry, 

 which is a mere survival of a policy of protection, and 

 which is opposed to all the maxims which regulate modern 

 legislation, has naturally been the subject of attack. In 

 1848 the Treasury instructed one of the ablest members of 

 the Civil Service — the late Sir John Lefevre — to enquire 

 into the matter. Sir John naturally reported that "the 

 system of authenticating the quality of goods by the 

 agency of a Government officer is objectionable in prin- 



* The figures will be found in the Appendix to the Report of the 

 Select Committee on the Scotch Herring Brand. It is there stated, 

 on the authority of a Report published in 1857, that the quantity of 

 herrings imported from Great Britain into the ports of Stettin, 

 Konigsberg, Hamburg, Dantzic, and Harburg, increased from 100,297 

 barrels in 1848 to 318,263 barrels in 1855 J whilst the Dutch imports 

 into the same places declined from 5,019 to 1,300 barrels, and the 

 Norwegian from 194,862 to 122,423 barrels. In 1879, however, Nor- 

 way sold to Germany 630,127 barrels ; Scotland S45;993 barrels, and 

 Holland 98,026 barrels. It is plain, if these figures are reliable, that 

 the Dutch and Norwegian trades are increasing more rapidly than 

 the Scotch trade. 



