MR. T. J. WIGG ON THE HERRING FISHERY. 99 
Corporation by the way a public auction was conducted 
for the purpose of letting the fishery plots for the year. The 
auction room was crowded with Scots and other curers, and 
the auctioneer was asked to name the reserve price on each 
plot offered for competition. This was not given, but the 
^salo proceeded, and a few plots were let in the usual way. 
i One plot not realising expectations was withdrawn. The 
curers dissented, and in the end the majority of those present 
left the room and thus boycotted the letting for a time. 
Rightly or wrongly, the Scotchmen at Yarmouth were under 
the impression that they were not fairly treated by the 
Corporation, and they made no secret of their grievances. 
A correspondent to the Eastern Daily Dress charges the Wharf 
Committee with the old standing grievance of favouring 
local fishermen to the detriment of Scottish fishers. He 
-says : — “ It is no uncommon thing to see a Scotch boat with 
a cargo of perishable goods lying astern of an English boat 
i whose stem is at the quay and nothing to do. Again it is 
claimed that at times the English boat may have nets or 
-salt to take on board and therefore he must lie. On the 
other hand, and we do not object if the custom is universal, 
the Scotch boat has to move away from the discharging berth 
immediately his cargo is delivered, and he is not allowed 
even the necessary time to fill his water-tanks, which would 
mean at the utmost from five minutes to fifteen minutes.” 
The charges are either true or untrue, but they are certainly 
not new. Fortunately the matter was partially arranged as 
the result of a deputation to the Fish Wharf Committee. The 
ultimate result of the above was the formation of an Association 
called the Yarmouth Scottish Fish Traders’ Association, to 
have for its object the mutual benefit of all branches of the 
industry. 
At the annual dinner in connection with the Great Yarmouth 
Fish Trade, one of the Scottish curers. Mr. Slater, quoted 
a set of striking figures, which may be interesting as showing 
the value of the Scottish community to Yarmouth during 
the Herring season. “ Scottish curers,” he said, “ dealt with 
Herrings to the extent of about C300.000 each season. Over 
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