Fishery Board for Scotland. 



xxv 



should be empowered to manage harbours and levy dues to be Provisions 

 expended in their repair and maintenance. Measure mi*ht 



It has been suggested that such a measure might contain pro- contain, 

 visions to the following effect : — 



(1) It shall be the duty of the Fishery Board officer, on receiving 

 a requisition signed by ten persons resident in his district, to convene 

 a public meeting to consider as to the adoption of the Act. 



(2) The Fishery officer shall preside at the said meeting, and, in 

 the event of its being resolved by a majority of those present to 

 adopt the Act, he shall forthwith communicate the resolution to 

 the Fishery Board. 



(3) The Fishery Board shall thereupon defiue the limits of the 

 district, make up a list of fishermen entitled to vote, fix the 

 number of the District Board, and the manner in which they are 

 to be elected, and arrange for taking a poll on the question whether 

 the Act shall be adopted. 



(4) In the event of its being settled to adopt the Act, the District 

 Board shall be elected in the manner appointed by the Fishery 

 Board. They shall be elected for the space of two years, and 

 shall be eligible for re-election. 



(5) The District Boards so appointed shall have vested in them 

 all the harbours in the district, provided any persons having 

 interests therein shall be williug to concede the same. They shall 

 have the entire management thereof, and sue or be sued in name 

 of their clerk. 



(6) With the consent of the Fishery Board, the District Board 

 may fix the dues leviable on the fish or other cargoes landed at the 

 harbour, and on the boats using the same ; and they shall be 

 entitled to recover these dues in a summary form in the name of 

 their clerk. The proceeds to be applied to the maintenance, 

 repair, and improvement of the harbour. 



(7) The District Board may contract for the purchase of land, 

 not exceeding one acre, within their district, and may enter into 

 contracts for the building, improvement, maintenance, or repair of 

 harbours, and may borrow at interest for this purpose, on the 

 security of the dues leviable as aforesaid, such sum or sums as the 

 Fishery Board may from time to time think requisite, but they 

 shall not sell, mortgage, or alienate the said harbour or its dues 

 without the consent of the Board. 



Lastly, if the village is already constituted, or is in a position to 

 get itself constituted into a police burgh, the local authority might 

 be empowered to adopt the Act, and in that event monies borrowed 

 for harbour purposes might be secured by the police rates as well 

 as the harbour dues. 



It is obvious that such a measure would be a great boon to 

 fishermen. Already in several instances, through the instrumen- 

 tality of local committees and with the help of a voluntary assess- 

 ment, supplemented with the assistance of well-wishers in the 

 neighbourhood, considerable sums have been raised, and even har- 

 bours have been built and finished by the almost unaided efforts 

 of the fishermen themselves. The harbour of Portknockie in 

 d 



