CHAPTER I 



THE FISHERIES IN 1 863 



All legislation which professes to regulate the 

 conduct of a trade or occupation must, in order 

 that it should be just and successful, be based on an 

 intimate knowledge of the technical and economic 

 conditions affecting the occupation. But the 

 Legislature is so constituted that few, if any, of 

 its members can acquire this knowledge of the 

 numerous occupations with the regulation of which 

 they may be concerned. It is necessary, then, 

 that, to devise satisfactory laws of this kind, the 

 Legislature should be guided by the knowledge of 

 such persons as have, or are capable of acquiring, 

 this familiarity with the occupation in question, 

 and who are otherwise able to advise them as to 

 the best form of the legislation necessary. 



This is particularly true of the fishing industry, 

 where we have an occupation of a very technical 

 nature, and one with which the amateur has 

 peculiar difficulties in becoming conversant. It 

 is always difficult to determine exactly what are 



