xlviii 



Second Annual Report of the 



Herring 

 Fishery. 



Much care 

 required by 

 Fishery 

 Officers. 



Particulars of 



Herrings 



Branded. 



Imitation of 

 Crown Brand 



Half Barrels 

 less than 

 statutory 

 size. 



Herrings of 



Inferior 



Quality. 



Deputation 

 waited on 

 Board. 



Importance of 

 matter. 



Brought under 

 notice of 

 Secretary of 

 State. 



Inquiry made. 

 Result. 



Where Brand- 

 ing Irons 

 were got. 



much care and discrimination on the part of the fishery officers 

 in granting the official brand, and we have every reason to be 

 satisfied with the manner in which they carried out this important 

 part of their work. 



Table IV. Appendix A, shows the total number of barrels of 

 white herrings which were branded in Scotland last year ; of the 

 brandings in each district, and the amount of fees collected. To 

 this table there is added a note showing the total number of 

 barrels therein given, which were branded ' Full,' ' Maties,' or 

 ' Spent.' 



Fraudulent Branding of Herrings. 



We regret having to report that a colourable imitation of the 

 official Crown Brand was fraudulently used last year in branding 

 half barrels of cured herrings. These half barrels were made of 

 old staves, and of a smaller size than that fixed by the Act of 

 Parliament and the regulations of the Board, and contained 

 herrings of such inferior quality that they were quite unfit to 

 be branded. Information regarding the fraud came to us from 

 Stettin, the principal herring market on the Continent, from which 

 place it appeared that such half barrels of herrings had been sent to 

 the interior of Germany. Subsequently a deputation, representing 

 herring merchants and flsh-curers, waited upon us regarding the 

 matter. They expressed themselves as much aggrieved that such 

 an attempt should have been made to damage the legitimate trad- 

 ing upon the faith of the brand, and strongly urged that such steps 

 should be taken as would lead to the exposure and punishment of 

 the persons who had taken part in the fraud. 



We considered the matter of such great importance, not only 

 as affecting the integrity and value of the brand, but also the 

 interests of the fishing industry in Scotland, that we brought the 

 whole circumstances of the case, in so far as they had been com- 

 municated to us, under your notice; and in compliance with a 

 request which we made, you were good enough to get the Secretary 

 of State for Foreign Affairs to make inquiry, through Her Britannic 

 Majesty's Consul at Stettin, into the truth of the information we 

 had received, with the view of legal proceedings being taken against 

 any offending parties. The inquiry led to the discovery of the 

 person, — a merchant in Stettin, who is believed to be chiefly 

 responsible for the fraud, and proceedings have been instituted 

 against him by the Procurator-Fiscal there, who is to bring him to 

 trial. It is supposed that the irons which were used in branding 

 the barrels were manufactured in Scotland, and every exertion is 

 being made to discover by whom they were supplied. 



Herrings 

 Exported . 

 Increased 

 Quantity. 



HEEKINGS EXPOETED. 



The total quantity of cured herrings exported last year amounted 

 to 890,760J barrels, being an increase on 1882 of 64,777f barrels ; 

 and it affords us much pleasure to state that, with the exception of 

 the year 1880, which yielded the most abundant fishing ever 

 known, this is the largest exportation of cured herrings on record. 



