36 



J[INUTES OF EA'IDEXCE TAKEX BEFORE THE 



■i March 1904. J 



Professor D'Aecy W. Thompson, o.b. 



[Continued. 



Duke of Ahcrcorn — continued. 



6 IS. That if some legislation by England 

 was not undertaken with regard to the destruc- 

 tion of these smaller fish, the destruction of 

 these smaller fish would still continue ; thereby 

 showing, I mean, that much as we ought to 

 endeavour to promote some legislation for the 

 prevention of tne destruction of these smaller 

 fish ? — I certauil}' think so. 



619. Maj- I ask j^ou another question about 

 the haddock off the coast ot Aberdeen ? To what 

 do you attribute the gTeat destruction of the 

 smaller haddock ? You stated that a large num- 

 ber that were landed were simply sold for 

 manure ? — ITiere has been this year a \ei-j re- 

 markable abundance of small haddock on our 

 whole eastern coast — quite unusual. ^A^lat 

 cause that is referable to I do not know, 

 but it is one of the phenomena we are 

 familiar Avith in many fishes. In short, the 

 existence of such phenomeiia is one of the great 

 difficuhies in oiu- getting, through statistics, at 

 any reliable evidence as to the steady diminution 

 of our fisheries, since every now and then they 

 surprise us by appearing in unusual abundance. 



620. Naturallj' the destruction of this large 

 amount of small haddock is the cause of a great 

 loss of food to the public generally ? — Yes, 

 except that the verj^ tact of the destruction 

 shows that there is an exceptional supply to 

 draw from. I may say that these small haddock 

 which have been, to a great extent, wasted this 

 year in Aberdeen would in Germanj-, ever}' one 

 of them, have been used : at Geestemlinde, for 

 instance, a large factory has recently been estab- 

 lished in which the small haddock are first fried 

 and then canned, which has had the eflect of 

 raising the price of small haddock there to about 

 lO.v. a cwt. that were formerl}- sold for 6(1. or l-^'., as 

 tbcv have lieen sold this year in Aberdeen. 



Ch.aArman. 



621. Would that appl}^ to plaice and flat fish ; 

 would they use plaice and flat fish in the same 

 way as these small haddock in Germany ?— They 

 are on the whole more economical than we are 

 in the using of small fish, but I do not think 

 they could use these preciseh' in the same way. 

 I should -Uke to point out that if any diiiiculty 

 arose in the case of small haddock, the difficulty 

 is, perhaps, easier to deal with than in the case 

 of small flat fish, oiving to the circumstance that 

 a very little increase in the size of the mesh of 

 the trawl net would be sufficient to save the 

 small haddock, while you cannot make 3'our net 

 large enough to let through even the small 

 plaice without losing practicall}- the whole of 

 your haddock and a great man^' other useful 

 fish, 



022. I suppose you have had some experience 

 in policing the Moiay Inrtli by the " Jackal" ? — 

 Yes. 



023. Has not that been found, even over a 

 comparatively small area, somewhat of a difli- 

 cultv ? — We have on 'the east coast of Scotland 

 not only the assistance of the " Jackal " under 

 the Admiralt)', but also two cruisers belonging 

 to our own Board, constantl)' employed in 

 policing the inshore waters of the eastern coast, 

 the Firth and the various smaller areas that are 

 closed. 



Chairman — continued. 



024-. Do you think it would be as easy to 

 police these eastern grounds as it is to police the 

 Moray Firth, the inshore waters ? — No, that 

 would be even more difficult ; it would be a very 

 difficult matter indeed. 



02-5. Did A'ou ascertain while you were in 

 Germany wliat are the Customs duties on 

 imported fresh fish? — There are none; and F 

 may also say thff railway rates are more 

 favourable for the transport of fresh fish in 

 Germany, and that there is in that direction a 

 great chance of a continually increasing market. 



626. Are they subsidised by the Government? 

 — The railways are, v.ith unimportant exceptions. 

 State railways. 



626a. And are special facilities given to fresh 

 fish by the Government directly ;' — Special and 

 great facilities. 



Loid ff en eage. 



627. Do thej not come to England as well ? — 

 I am not sure about that, but they go all over 

 Germany, and as far as Vienna, at rates we can- 

 not touch in this country. 



Duke of Ahercorn. 



628. Are not the fish railway rates in this 

 country high ? — I only speak from a general 

 knowledge of the complamts of the trade, but 

 the fish rates are very high. 



629. And the complaint is general, not only 

 in England and Scotland but in Ireland as well ? 

 — I believe so ; I believe in Ireland the rates are 

 higher still. 



630. I suppose that naturally these heavy 

 rates would interfere with the extension of the 

 fish trade to a certain extent ? — It is one reason 

 that prevents our bringing to Aberdeen the 

 small fish with which this Bill deals, because 

 they are not worth the railway rates which we 

 have to pay. 



Chairman. 



631. You mean that you could not send them 

 from Aberdeen to London by rail ? — No, we 

 could not do that, 



Duke of Ahercorn. 



632. Have you anything to say under the 

 question of rates ? — I can give a little informa- 

 tion with regard to the German railway rates if 

 it be desired. The general principle is, in 

 Germany, that fresh fish is sent over the whole 

 State railway system by fast trains at half the- 

 rate of other goods ; and it is sent as far as 

 Vienna, JIunich and Dresden by special trains 

 from Geestemtinde. On the whole, speaking 

 generally, these rates, which are uniform all over 

 Germany, work out at very much the same, 

 perhaps a little less, but not much less than the 

 special rates we have got from Aberdeen to 

 London for three-ton loads ; but while we 

 can only send our fish at these special rates to 

 London and a few other places, you can send 

 them over the whole system of Germany at a 

 proportionately low rate. 



633. By that you mean you can only send 

 from one great centre to another at these low 

 rates in this country ? — Yes, while you have the 

 advantage of the whole State railway system in 

 Germany. With us, a special unifornwate of 

 60s. a ton is in force for quantities of three tons 



or 



