30 



Thirty -ninth Annual Report 



CHAPTER V. 



TRANSPORT AND DISTRIBUTION. 



Of all problems confronting the fishing industry that of transport 

 and distribution is one of the most vital, and at the same time one 

 of the most difficult, and this is specially so in the case of Scotland. 

 The principal fishing ports are in the northern section of the country, 

 far removed from the important centres of population and consump- 

 tion, and the herring ports are served only by single lines ; no alterna- 

 tive means of transport is available as in the case of ports which are 

 comparatively close to the industrial areas, and consequently any 

 failure of the railway service seriously affects the Scottish industry. 



In the Board's report for the year 1919, reference was made to 

 the transport difficulties experienced during that year, and during 

 the early part of 1920 these difficulties continued. 



Numerous complaints were received from various ports around 

 the coasts of Scotland with regard to the inadequacy of the rail- 

 way facilities for the transport of fish to the southern markets; 

 owing to slow running or delays en route the trains were arriving in 

 London or the English provincial towns too late for the early morning 

 market, when the best prices are obtainable, and on many occasions 

 the fish had to be held over until a later market, this delay, which 

 was the more serious at the week-end, resulting in a further de- 

 preciation in condition and value. This was specially noticeable with 

 regard to the Aberdeen fish traffic to the south, which is a regular 

 and important feature of the industry, and by the end of March 1920 

 not only was there a strong feeling of dissatisfaction with the arrange- 

 ments which had been in operation during the preceding winter, and 

 which were still in force, but serious misgivings were expressed on all 

 sides as to the conditions which might be expected during the summer 

 months, unless material improvement could meantime be introduced. 



The position generally at this time was that the fishing fleets had 

 been re-established, in some cases in greater strength even than in 

 pre-war days, and the fishing was being prosecuted with the greatest 

 vigour ; the landings were consistently heavy, and the southern 

 markets were largely relied on for their disposal. The railway 

 companies, however, had found it quite impossible to restore even 

 their pre-war services for fish, either by passenger or goods train ; 

 they were still suffering from a general shortage of rolling stock, and 

 this applied especially to the class of vehicle suitable for fish trans- 

 port. At the same time there was a greatly increased volume of 

 general traffic passing over the railway systems ; the goods traffic 

 from Scotland to England has been stated authoritatively to have 

 increased by 35 per cent, between 1913 and 1920, and there was 

 undoubtedly a considerable growth in the fish traffic, now mostly 

 carried by passenger train. 



Other points represented to the Board with a view to improve- 

 ment were as follows : — 



(a) The employment of more covered waggons for fish in lieu 

 of open trucks ; there were many complaints that, by the 

 latter method, there was an inevitable accumulation of 



