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that they do a large business, and that they only have an hour or two hours to Enforcement 

 do it in the morning. It is absolutely impossible to examine every single fish °^ law ' 

 that passes through their hands. The goods must be got away by a particular 

 train, or they would lose the market, and the crabs would be left on their hands, 

 and spoiled. Thinks too much stress has been laid on the expense of inspectors 

 on the coasts, and that the National Exchequer might undertake the cost. 

 There is a [statute imposing a penalty on fraudulently packing goods. Con- 

 siders a parcel of crabs large at top and small at bottom a fraudulent packing, 

 and that an action would lie for such packing. It would be unfair to impose 

 such a law on the trader. 



(Examined by Mr. Wdlpole.) Agrees with Mr. Scott that no crab under CRABS. 

 5 inches, or light crab, or berried crab should betaken; and that no lobster Gauge. 

 under 8 inches in total length, and no berried lobster should be taken; but Berried. 

 thinks that the law should be enforced on the coast, or by salesmen giving Soft. 

 proof of fraudulent package. It might be made illegal to sell undersized crabs Enforcement 

 and lobsters, provided that no salesman should be liable for selling a package °f law - 

 of crabs which had been fraudulently packed, so that he was unable to see the 

 small crabs at the bottom of the package. But the retailer should not sell the 

 undersized crabs, and should only be liable for doing so if he failed to give 

 notice to the duly constituted authorities of the receipt of such crabs, and the 

 parties from whom he had received them. The prosecution should be on the 

 first seller, and not on the subsequent salesman. 



William Smith Scott (recalled). It would be perfectly impossible to 

 carry out the law without inspectors on the coast. Posting notices would not 

 have the effect of inducing the fishermen to carry out the law. The law could 

 not be carried out without an inspector. 



Joseph Smith (examined by Mr.Buckland). A fish-salesman at Birmingham. 

 Hasbeen a fish-salesman f or more than 30 years. Sells crabs and lobsters wholesale. 

 They come from the same places as Mr. Scott's. They have fallen off a little. But _ 

 this is owing to the railways opening markets in every little town in the country. T^foomp™ 



Agrees to a 5-inch gauge for crabs, and an 8-inch gauge for lobsters. Is in 



favour of eating berried lobsters or berried crabs when they are in their prime Berried. 



and good. The law should be a law to prevent the sale of unseasonable 



lobsters, and not of berried lobsters. Lobsters are more or less in berry all the 



year round. Agrees to an 8-inch gauge for lobsters. If the law cannot be Gauge. 



carried out on the coasts it cannot be carried out in the markets. The crabs 



are sold in the market by the barrel without opening it. The person who buys 



them sells them all, small and big, and it would be a hardship to prevent his 



doing so. The retailer would not buy the crabs of the salesmen unless they 



were turned out on the floor and measured, and this would stop the trade 



altogether. There is only one way of enforcing the law, viz., by an inspector Enforcement 



on the coasts who can examine the crabs as they are caught. °^ 



William Hanman (examined by Mr. Walpole). A superintendent of 

 markets, and inspector of game, fish, and meat in Birmingham. Has heard 

 the evidence of previous witnesses. Thinks that the gauges suggested by 

 the various salesmen are very proper. Parliament might make a law forbidding 

 the consumption of undersized crabs and lobsters. The law must, to start 

 with, be enforced at the waterside. It must be illegal for the fishermen to take, 

 sell, or send away undersized, white, or berried fish. This law will not be suffi- 

 cient. The retailer must also be held responsible. It must be illegal for the 

 retailer to sell or expose for sale any of these prohibited fish. There would be 

 no hardship in such a law. The fisherman takes undersized fish, he thereby 

 commits an offence ; he sends these away to the salesman ; the salesman has 

 no opportunity of examining that basket of fish, but transfers them to the 

 retailer. The retailer has every opportunity of detecting undersized and 

 improper fish, and should be held equally responsible with the fishermen. The 

 retailer on finding undersized fish ought to give information to the authorities 

 of his district, who in that case would take no proceedings against the retailer, 

 because he has informed, and has not sold or exposed for sale. The retailer 

 would probably arrange with the wholesaleman that he would take no fish 

 unless he could guarantee him against loss from undersized and illegal fish, and 

 the fishermen on the coasts would then find that it was no longer worth their 

 while to send any undersized fish. 



It should be the object of the Act to make the law applicable to the fishermen 





