lviii Part I. — Twenty-fifth Annual Report 



charge. Trawlers followed next with eight, that number being 

 equally divided between British and foreign vessels. The balance 

 of the 27 complaints were attributed to miscellaneous causes. 



In 14 of the cases dealt with, the officers succeeded in arranging 

 matters amicably, while in nine of them the complainants took no 

 further steps, probably because they were either partly at fault 

 themselves or their grounds of complaint were too slender to 

 justify further procedure. At the close of the year there were two 

 claims remaining unsettled. 



The amount of damage assessed by the Board's officers was about 

 £124, and a fair proportion of that amount was recovered. In 

 addition, the lines carried away were returned to the owners in 

 two instances, and in another a mutual arrangement was arrived at. 



Fourteen of the cases of loss or damage caused took place out- 

 side territorial waters. 



The fact that the number of such complaints submitted to the 

 Board's officers for adjudication has fallen to the low figure of 27 

 surely indicates that the men following a seafaring occupation are 

 exhibiting greater regard for each other's property, and that they 

 are becoming better acquainted with the law on the subject. 



Details of the foregoing will be found in Appendix L, No. 1. 



LOANS TO FISHERMEN. 



At the close of 1905, of the 246 loans made by the Board to 

 fishermen, between 1888 and 1890, six remained open, i.e. the 

 boats upon which the money had been advanced still remained in 

 the hands of the borrowers. These six were reduced by two 

 during last year, one — that of an advance of £288 made to a Lewis 

 crew of fishermen in May 1890 having been fully repaid ; the 

 other was a case where a loan of £312 had been granted in August 

 1889 to a crew of Golspie fishermen and where the borrowers 

 ultimately stated that they could not pay anything further towards 

 their arrears, which rendered it necessary for the Board to fore- 

 close under their powers as mortgagees. The boat conveyed in 

 security for the loan realised £40, but £4 14s. Id. was incurred as 

 expenses in connection with the seizure, sale, &c, thereof, and the 

 loss of principal made was £65 15s. 3d. 



Of the total amount advanced — £30,111 16s. 7d. — there had 

 been recovered at 31st December last £23,707 12s. 3d., which, 

 together with the interest received — £3673 15s. 6d. — makes a 

 total of £27,381 7s. 9d. realised on account of loans. Of the 

 monies recovered, £21,600 Is. 6d. represents principal and interest 

 paid direct by the borrowers themselves, while £5169 9s. 6d. is the 

 net amount recovered by the Board for seized or surrendered boats, 

 £611 16s. 9d. being the sum obtained from insurance companies 

 for wrecked boats. 



The arrears, including interest, at the close of the year stood at 

 £7149 9s. lOd. Of that sum, £6243 18s. 8d. of principal has been 

 written off as against the assets of the Local Loans Fund. 



