MR. A. H. PATTERSON ON A DECAYED TRAWL-FISHERY. 41 
for manure, for it wouldn’t pay to take ’em home. You may 
make nets with any size mesh you like, and when you get 
a big weight draggin’ at the cod end, them meshes ’ll draw 
from squares into narrow slots, and when you get big fish in 
as well, nothin’ ’ll go through, not even cockles, or sand, or 
mud ! The only thing on that point is proper close seasons, 
and the broken up feedin’ grounds left to pull theerselves round 
again. 
“ Then we didn’t get fair treatment from the railway 
company — they favoured Lowestoft, what’s even now beginnin’ 
to feel the pinch of a fish shortage. You mark my word ! 
Lowestoft trawlin’ will bust up afore long, as sure as eggs is 
eggs. The trend of the fish is to the nor’ard — allers nor’ard ! 
Ain’t they even now fishin’ off Lapland and far beyond Ice- 
land ?* 
“ If Grimsby had kept to sailin’ boats, as Lowestoft does, 
they’d all stand a better chance, and so would the fishes, for 
they’d then get many a day and even a week’s rest in bad 
weather, when the boats couldn’t work and that would just 
about be a close season for ’em, wouldn’t it ? 
“ Bor, workin’ expenses too helped to kill Yarmouth smacks. 
Who bust up the Companies but the workin’ officials — same 
as in most things ! Then Yarmouth men drew money as soon 
as they stept aboard, Lowestoft men don’t — they get paid by 
the share — no trip, no pay, and they didn’t get paid till the 
end of the trip. Our boats paid ten shillings out for towin’, 
and ten shillin’s for the tug coming in. Lowestoft boats seft 
that, for they can go in and out on their own. Small owners 
can stand on the wharf at Lowestoft and see the fish sold 
to a penny. At Yarmouth they had to pay for carting, 
* This conversation took place early in June, 1909 : a few clays after 
the Chronicle announced that new and prolific fishing-grounds had been 
discovered,” extending for thousands of miles in area, with an abun- 
dance of Plaice of finest quality, off the North Coast of Lapland. 
Seve-al trawlers secured over 100 tons of Plaice each in a few hours’ 
trawling. Hundreds of steam trawlers were reported to have rushed 
off to the new El Dorado. The fishing grounds there were stated to 
be blessed with a “ natural” close season, owing to the ice during the 
winter months. 
