SELECT COMMITTEK oij tHF SEA FISHERIES BILL. 



147 



18 March 1904.J 



Mr. Doughty (a Member of the House of Commons). 



[Continued. 



GkaiT-Tnan — continued, 

 time, or as soon as September gets here, and the 

 five or six months that follow, it would not afiect 

 them, because where our men work on single boats, 

 being on the small grounds where the fleets would 

 not go ; our men work these particular places, 

 and they have to hold their gear anyhow every 

 hour and a-half, or three hours at the very outside ; 

 whereas the fleet of vessels work all the night 

 Jihrough with simply one haui. Now I put it to 

 anyone,in winter time, for example, on dark nights, 

 with a bit of a breeze on or a strong wind, how 

 is it possible for a fisherman, having to haul his 

 gear, say, once in every three hours, to sort these 

 fish out at all in such conditions as obtain there ? 

 It cannot be done. 



2583. What does he do in practice — shovel it 

 all just as it is into the trunlis ? — They do the best 

 they can with it, get it down below and into the 

 ice as best they can. But under such conditions 

 of weather as obtain there, it would be impractic- 

 able to do it ; and, further than that, there is not 

 a very large proportion of smaH plaice amongst the 

 fish they catch at that time ; perhaps not more 

 than 10, 15, or 20 per cent, of it all makes good 

 money at the market in those months, when it is 

 caught under such conditions. I think to preveat 

 its being bought in and sold would be an injury 

 both to the consumer and the producer. 



2584. Then I think I may gather that you 

 would wish, while leaving as much latitude to 

 the Board as possible to meet changing conditions, 

 that Parliament should have the utmost possible 

 supervision over the action of the Board, consist- 

 ently with allowing it such latitude that it would 



Chairman — continued. 



not be necessary to propose a Bill in Parliament 

 to carry out every change ? — Yes, certainly ; 

 that is very important. I suppose every Order 

 that the Department might make would have to 

 lie for so many days on the Table of the House ? 



2585. You are asking me questions 1 — I do not 

 know myself. 



2586. No, not of necessity. It might be done, 

 but not of necessity. I think it ia open to con- 

 sideration. 



Marquess of Huntly. 



2587. Did you say that 11 in. was the limit that 

 you thought would be a proper one for plaice ? — 

 I think that for plaice 11 ia. would be a fair 

 limit, anyhow, to start with. 



2588. That, you think, would make it unprofit- 

 able for them to go to these eastern grounds ?— 

 Yes. 



Lord TweedmotUh. 



2589. Would you confine it entirely to plaice ? — 

 No, I would admit briU and turbot. 



2590. And soles ? — ^No, not soles. 



2591. You would have a Umit for soles ? — 

 Yes, I think for soles it should be 10 in. ; that is 

 what the trade thought in Grimsby. 



2592. The last witness, I think, and our Chair- 

 man also, seemed to think that the Order in the 

 first instance might be confined to plaice only ? — 

 I think it must be confined, if I may be allowed 

 to suggest it, to all fiat fish. 



2593. To those four flat fishes, at any rate,, 

 brill, turbot, plaice, and soles ? — Yes. 



Ordered — That this Committee be adjourned. 



