SKLECT COMMITTEE ON THE SEA FISHEKIES BILL. 



3 March 1904. 



Mr. Alexander Millikin. 



[Continued. 



Chairman — continued. 



generally -where the fishing operations are 

 carried on. 



374. Have you ever heard of them going to 

 the neighbourhood of Heligoland i — Yes. 



375. You believe they do go there ? — I believe 

 they do. 



376. Do you luiow whether the}^ go there at 

 any particular time of the j'ear, or all the year 

 round ? — Any time they think thty will get the 

 most catches. It is rather a general answer. 



377. But supposing the operations of the Bill 

 wore limited to certain months of the year and 

 not to extend to the whole year, would that 

 involve a great expense on the Fishery Board of 

 Scotland in providing inspectors to examine the 

 boxes landed from them ? — Yes. It would 

 involve the cost of the operation during the 

 months the law is in operation. 



378. And you think the advantages to be 

 derived from the restriction of fishing in those 

 areas would not be sufficiently great to com- 

 pensate the Board for the neces.sary expenditure 

 m examining the boxes during the four or five 

 months ot the year ? — I do not think it would. 



879. Upon what do you base the suggestion 

 that 20 men would be required at each port ? — 

 Xot at each port — altogether. 



380. Oh, altogether ; I beg your pardon. That 

 woidd be about seven at each port ? — No. I 

 should say, put 12 at Aberdeen and the other 

 eight between the other two places. 



381. How many hours in the day is the 

 landing of fish carried on trom the carriers ? — 

 They may begin at three or lour o'clock in the 

 morning, and they must be all landed before 

 eight o'clock. 



382. That is five hours a day ? — Yes, then the 

 sale begins. 



383. Therefore your inspector would only be 

 employed five hours in the day; and what 

 superintending staff have you got now over the 

 landing of the fish ? — There are four in Aber- 

 deen. 



384. And elsewhere ? — There is one for 

 Dundee and Montrose and that part of the 

 coast, and one for Granton and Newhaven. 



385. What is the total expense of this super- 

 vision by these inspectors ? — It would hardly be 

 fair to put it on that supposition, because their 

 other duties come in too. The officers perform 

 the other duties of the district. 



386. But I imagine if a man has only got to 

 supervise landing five hours a day, he would have 

 time to devote his attention to other duties i~ - 

 Yes. 



387. Then I ask again, what is the expendi- 

 ture which the Scottish Fishery Board incurs in 

 the supervision which it at present exercises ?— 

 I do not know how I could put it. Thej' do not 

 superintend the landing of fish just now. 



388. Wliat are the total aggregate salaries of 

 these gentlemen ; can you tell us that, roughly — 

 would it be 100?. or 200^.?— 900^.; that is, the cost 

 of these three districts is roughly 900?. to 1,000?. 



389. Do you think that to provide the num- 

 ber you tliink would be necessary would cost 

 double that, another 900J. ? — It would cost more 

 I should think. You cannot expect to get men 



Chu 



-continued. 



to devote their whole time, five hours a day, and 

 throw up any other employn.ienfc. 



390. Have you at all calculated what would 

 be the additional expense ? — Xo, I have not. 



Duke of Abercorn. 



3!:ll. You stated, as Lord Onslow has just 

 said, that it would entail considerable expense 

 if this Bill became law, because the Custom 

 House officers or the inspectors would have to 

 inspect every box ? — To the fishery officers, if 

 the law is to be carried out effectively. 



392. Then you also stated that the law would 

 be evaded in this way — that the trawlers would 

 throw overboard all the small fish ? — Rather 

 than incur the penalty. ' 



393. If that were the case, and it became 

 generally known that this was the action of 

 trawlers, si irely the inspection would not be so 

 necessary by a larger number of inspectors ? — If 

 you take the Custom House officers and smug- 

 glers smuggling tobacco coming from foreign 

 countries, if they Know that the Custom House 

 officers relaxed their efforts, how much tobacco 

 would be brought in ? 



394. I am not talking about tobacco ? — But it 

 is the same thing. 



Lord Tiueedmouth. 



395. These men you were speaking of are 

 the regular officers of the Board, are they not ? 

 — With the addition of two clerks at Aber- 

 deen. 



396. The others are the ordinary fishery 

 officers of the Board ? — Yes. 



397. And their time is already fully occupied ? 

 — Yes, their time is fully occupied. 



398. They have plenty to do ? — Yes. 



399. They have particularlv to look after all 

 the curing of the white herrings, and branding, 

 and so forth ? — Yes. 



400. So that they have plenty to do ? — Quite 

 enough, 



401. You do not think the present staff could 

 take on besides the extra woi-k of inspecting all 

 these boxes ? — No, they could not. 



Lord Heneage. 



402. Evidence has been given to us that it is 

 very well known where the undersized fish are 

 in the North Sea — that has been localised. Are 

 there any other boats excepting the boats of 

 Aberdeen that go into that part of the sea ? — I 

 would not venture to say. 



Lord Ikueechnouth. 



403. Are you aware that at certain seasons of 

 the year you get a great quantity of small fish 

 either from St. Andrews Bay or from some of 

 the bays near Aberdeen itself ? — Yes, I am quite 

 aware of that. 



Chairman. 



404. Would you wish Scotland to be exempted 

 from the operations of the Bill ? — Just in this 

 way, because I think it can do so little good. 



405. You would wish it ? — Yes. 



The Witness is directed to withdraw. 



406. Will 



