138 



MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE 



17 March 1904] 



Mr. Jackman. 



[Continued. 



ChairTnan — continued. 



carriers bringing fish from those steam trawlers, 

 would it affect your trade ? — No. If the steam 

 trawlers, or owners who are interested, wish for 

 a Bill of this description I have no objection to 

 their having the Bill ; but at the same time we 

 as Lowestoft trawlers object very strongly to 

 being within the scope of the Bill in any shape 

 or form. Our only object in coming here to-day 

 is that we shall ask this Committee to allow us 

 to go on as practical fishermen in the same way 

 that we have been going on. 



2440. The way you have been going on I 

 understand is, that you do not go to fish on 

 these Eastern grounds north ot Heligoland ? — 

 In Lowestoft, I might say up to the first two 

 months, this year has not been so remunerative 

 as past years ; but taking the past ten years I 

 should think at Lowestoft it has been as good a 

 ten years as ever Lowestoft has seen since it has 

 been a fishing part. 



2441. But my question was, do you at Lowes- 

 toft go trawling north and north-east of Heli- 

 goland ? — No, we do not go nothing near so far 

 as that. Our grounds are in latitude from the 

 Outer Dowson across to Ter Schelling ; in fact we 

 very rarely go as far as that. We do not go 

 often much below {i.e., north of) the Texel. 



2442. Therefore if the Bill were made to apply 

 to steam trawlers only, I want to know, would 

 you then, when you know that steam trawlers 

 no longer find it worth their while to go to the 

 Eastern grounds beyond Ter Schelling, go and 

 •catcb the fish they were not allowed to catch ? — 

 We cannot go there, the distance is too far. 



2443. And you would not complain, if you 

 •did do such a thing as go to the east of Ter 

 Schelling and fish m those grounds, if the pro- 

 visions of the Bill were made applicable to you ? 

 — If you can trust us that far, I can guarantee 

 to-day we will not go beyond Ter Schelling to 

 catch any fish, if you allow us to go as far as 

 that and no further. We should not go there at 

 any time unless we were blown there in a gale 

 -of wind, and then we should not stop there. 



2444. But if you went there in the summer 

 time when there was not a gale of wind, do you 

 think you could get back again, if it was calm 

 weather, in time to sell your fish ? — No. 



2445. Therefore if the Bill were confined to 

 certain summer months of the year, is there any 



Chairman — continued, 

 reasonable prospect that you Lowestoft people 

 would go to those eastern grounds ? — No. 



2446. Therefore you think the Board of 

 Agriculture and Fisheries would be perfectly 

 safe in their endeavour to protect these grounds to 

 exempt the Lowestoft fisheries altogether ? — Yes. 



2447. And that would satisfy you ? — Yes. 



Duke of Ahercom. 



2448. What is the number of the Lowestoft 

 trawlers ? — We have now about 270. 



2449. And how many of those are steamers ? 

 — There are only six steamers sailing out of 

 Lowestoft, and they belong to Yarmouth really, 

 although they land their fish at Lowestoft ; but 

 we have not got one steam trawler belonging to 

 Lowestoft ? 



2450. Do those six steam trawlers go up to 

 the eastern grounds ? — They go further north 

 than we do. 



2451. But you are not responsible for them ? 

 — No, it is nothing to do with us. 



Lord Tweedmouth. 



2452. Are your fish landed by steam carriers ? 

 — No ; we are under what you may call the 

 single boat principle ; each boat goes and catches 

 his own voyage and brings it to land and 

 lands it. 



2453. They have to take ice ? — They have to 

 take ice, so that we cannot go very far after the 

 fish ; because if we went over eighty or ninety 

 miles we could not get back to the market with 

 the fish ; it would be really spoilt. 



Lord Heneage. 



2454. What tonnage are your vessels gener- 

 ally? — Averaging from fifty to sixty tons. I 

 should think the average tonnage of the port 

 would be about fifty-four or fifty -five tons. 



2455. What is your largest vessel ? — Sixty 

 tons. I do not think there are more than ten 

 over sixty tons. 



Chairman. 



2456. "What is the largest ? — Not above sixty- 

 three tons. 



2457. Supposing the Bill were limited to 

 steam vessels, and to trawlers of sixty-five tons 

 and upwards, it would not affect you ? — No, it 

 would not injure us. 



The Witness is directed to withdraw. 



Mb. henry GOODBOURN is called in; and Examined as follows :- 



Chairman. 



2458. Are you a smack-owner and fish sales- 

 man at Ramsgate ? — Yes. 



2459. Is .the fishing trade of Ramsgate very 

 much the same as that of Lowestoft ?— Yes. 



2460. Is the size of the vessels about the 

 same ? — Rather smaller. 



2461. Do they go further out into the North 

 Sea than the Lowestoft vessels ? — Not so far. 



2462. Then any restrictions which did not 

 affect the Lowestoft trade would not affect the 

 Ramsgi\te trade ? — No. 



Chairman — continued. 



2463. You heard the evidence given by the 

 last witness ? — Yes. 



2464. Do you agree with it ? — Yes. 



2465. Have you anything to add to it ? — No. 



Lord Heneage. 



2466. What is the largest size of your vessels? 

 — 41 or 42 tons 



2467. Do none of 50 tons sail from your port ? 

 — There might be one or two. 



24et. What 



