SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE SEA FISHERIES" BILL. 



101 



11 Mafch 1904. J 



Mr. W. H. PiBEL. 



[Continued: 



Duke of Abercwn. 



1902. As we are on the subject ol dpgfish, dp 

 they destroy th© nets much ? — Yes, very much. 

 That was one of my objects in creating a trade 

 for theni — they do so much destruction to the 

 tiets, not of the trawHng vessels but of the 

 yessels that go drift fishing, for the herring and 

 mackerel, and they also eat a great quantity of 

 ^sh. 



1903. They are a perfect pest on the west 

 coast, both of this country and of Ireland ? — Yes. 



Lord Northhournc. 



1904. They are a kind of shark, are they not ? 

 — Yes.- 



Earl of Tarhorough. 



1905. A great many small fish are thrown 

 away at Billingsgate ? — Yes. 



1906. For manure ? — At times it is impossible 

 to sell small fish, when we get too much of it. 



1907. What time of the year is that ?— That is 

 generally speaking in the spring and summer 

 time. , 



Lord Heneaye. 



1908. In answer to the Chairman you said 

 something about the fear- of the trade with 

 regard to Orders being made. That was not 

 with regard to closing any particular waters, but 

 with regard to the pressure that might be put on 

 hj the representatives of a port where the sailing 

 vessels issue forth. to make regulations in their 

 favour as against the steam trawling interest ? — 

 That is the fear. 



1909. I am not saying whether it is reasonable 

 or not. As regards ■ the sale of small fish, you 

 know a great deal about the sale of fish abroad ? 

 —Yes. 



1910. Do you believe there is a good market 

 for small fish in other countries ? — For small 

 round fish there is very little indeed, and for 

 small flat' fish, for plaice, there is practically no 

 market under 8 inches, but over that there is a 

 market. 



1911. Are there regulations in Gerinany and 

 ■other countries against the sale of these small 

 fish ? — Yes, you cannot sell them in Germany 

 or in France practically under 6 inches ; but 

 that is a very small measurement, and in Prance 

 unfortunately at the present time the law is not 

 well enforced. 



1912 Now, with regard to the sale of small 

 fish in England, a certain amount of this under- 

 sized fish there is a market for, is there not ? — 

 Yes. 



1913. And then after that there is a second 

 market for it for manure ? — The price for 

 manure you can hardly call a market — it does 

 fetch something. 



1914. The remainder of that is sold ? — Yes, it 

 fetches something. 



1915. That is what would be stopped by the 

 Bill in both cases ? — -Yes. 



1916. You represent the unanimous opinion 

 of the trade, I think, on this Bill, do you not ? 

 — I am quite sure I represent 99 per cent, of the 

 whole retail trade of England, which has quite 



Lord Heneage — continued. 



as much capital in it as any other branch of the 

 industry, and also tile other' great branch who 

 practically find the capital to carry on the tradci 

 In London and other towns, that is, the 

 merchants who buy on the coast from the steani 

 trawlers and sell it in' the various' towns. 



1917. I will ask you another question as to 

 yoiir opinion. Are you not of opinion that if 

 there had never been the Moray Firth heard of 

 there never would have been any fears with 

 regard to the Bill at all ?— I am quite sure of 

 that. 



Lord Northhourne 



1918. Are there a large quantity of these 

 undersized fish coming to Billingsgate ? — Yes, 

 enormous. 



1919. "Where are they distributed ? — They are 

 sold principally by auction in the market, and 

 then all the small fishmongers come and buy 

 them, and take them home to their shops, and 

 use as much as they can, and the others go in 

 what we call the gut tub. 



1920. "What size fish — smaller than 8 inches ? 

 — Yes, the ftfed fish shops can use some a little 

 smaller than 8 inches, but not many. I do not 

 know whether you have ever seen them ; they 

 fry them up and smother them in batter. 



1921. You see them in the windows some- 

 times ? — Yes, a very little plaice looks quite twice 

 the size when it is fried, because of all the 

 batter ; it is really pretty well all batter they get. 



1922. Then the things which they have as 

 fried fish are very often nothing but batter i — 

 Practically there is very often little more when 

 fish is dear. 



1923. And among the poorer classes it is 

 considered an article of food ? — Yes, it is a great 

 thing for the poorer people^fried fish. 



1924. You sell these small fish by the 

 hundredweight, I suppose ? — No, all by the 

 pound. 



1925. What are they sold at by the pound ? — 

 The smallest-sized sole we sell, we sell wholesale 

 from 3c?. to Qd. 



Chairman. 



1926. Is that under the 10-inch limit ? — Yes, 

 most of them would be under the 10-inch hmit! 

 We import great quantities of small soles' from 

 France, but they are soles of from 10 to 12 

 inches. 



Duke of Abercorn. 



1927. Do you get a ready market for those 

 very small soles ? — Yes, Jews buy them princi- 

 pally — the poorer Jews. 



Lord NortKbourne. 



1928. Does the greater part of the supply of 

 BiUingsgate come from Grimsby ?— No, that is 

 only one port. 



1929. Where does the bulk of the cheap fish 

 come from ? — I have businesses in Wick and m 

 Scrabster. 



1930. Where is that ?— They are both in the 

 north of Scotland; at North Shields and 

 Grimsby and Hull and Boston and Lowestoft, 

 and Brixham and Newlyn, that is Penzance, and 

 Swansea. 



1931. Are 



