Fishery Board for Scotland. 



So long ago as February 1885 Messrs Johnston & Sons of Loans on 

 Montrose directed the Board's attention to this matter. They Mortgage, 

 wrote the Secretary — ' There seems to be no provision for mortgaging 



* a boat, and conseq^uently the tisherman, when he requires to 



* borrow money on his boat, must pay a much higher interest for it 



* under present circumstances than he would do if he could grant 

 ' the lender a mortgage. We think the Customs could arrange this 



* both as to registration and mortgage. We are quite sure it would 

 ' be a great boon to the fishermen — at once making them more 

 ' independent of the lender, although the lender should happen to 

 ' be a fishcurer. It would save the men from 1 per cent, to 2 per 



* cent, interest per annum.' 



Accordingly, the Sheriff of Caithness, Orkney, and Zetland, a 

 member of the Board, agreed to make inquiries on the subject, and 

 particularly, whether any of the fishermen had registered their first- i 

 class boats under the Merchant Shipping Acts. Mr Burnet, the 

 obliging and energetic Collector of Customs at Wick, communicated 

 his views in writing. He reports : ' I have frequently indicated to 



* boat owners the advantages arising from registry of their boats Registry under 



* under the Merchant Shipping Acts. These are, facility of sale and Merchant 



' mortgage, and what is much needed, security of share owners, wng c b. 



* There is also limited liability for damage caused by collision, 



* an important matter, although it is an eventuality not likely to 



* be onerous under the present system of construction. Another 



* advantage of registry is the removal of the disability under the 



* Acts and the Customs Eegulations for boats over 15 tons engaging 

 ' in the coasting trade, for which the larger vessels are well adapted. 



* The hindrances and drawbacks to registration are practically nil. 



* The fee of one pound for measurement, and inspection, and the 



* provision of lights and fog-signalling apparatus should not operate 



* against the many advantages. What I believe to be the chief 



* hindrance is the present system of levying harbour dues, and 



* the fear of the boats being brought under the usual tonnage 



* rates. Three boats only have been registered in order to engage 



* in the coasting traffic' Mr Malcolm McLennan, the Sheriff's 

 Procurator-Fiscal at Wick, also writes 



' Fishermen generally, I believe, would thankfully avail them- 

 ' selves of the existing law, by registering their fishing boats as 



* British ships, but difficulties intervene which render it impracti- 

 ' cable. At this port there is no surveying officer who can admeasure 

 ' the tonnage capacity of a boat. I believe the nearest port where 

 ' a survey could be had is Fraserburgh. Now a voyage to Fraser- 

 ' burgh, for the purpose, costs too much money, as crews are seldom 



* mustered and boats fitted out before the time has come for the 



* commencement of fishing engagements. Last year, having vin- 

 ' dicated a fisherman's right to a boat in your Court here, against 



* his fishcurer, and the man being due the fishcurer a balance on 



* account, I was desirous of registering the boat as a British vessel 

 ' in order to take a small mortgage, but in the absence of a local 



* surveyor I had to give it up,' He concludes by recapitulating 

 the objects to be attained by an inexpensive system of regis- 

 tration for fishing boats, thus:— '(1) Giving to the fisherman 

 ' certainty of ownership such as he cannot be deprived of except 



