§ Order for Committee read.
§ Motion made, and Question, "That Mr. Speaker do now leave the Chair,"—(Mr. Acland,)—put, and agreed to.
§ Bill considered in Committee.
§ (In the Committee.)
§ Clauses 1 to 5, inclusive, agreed to.
§ Clause 6 (Reports to be laid before Parliament).
§ CAPTAIN PRICE (Devonport)As the hon. Member for East Norfolk (Sir Edward Birkbeck) is not in his place, I propose to move the Amendment standing in the name of the hon. Baronet, which, owing to his great knowledge of the subject, I have no doubt is of importance.
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. C. T. D. ACLAND) (Cornwall, Launceston)I am afraid that the Board of Trade are not prepared to undertake annually to lay before Parliament the information asked for in this Amendment. They are quite prepared to issue a Report annually; but I must point out that the details asked for in the Amendment, of which Notice has been given, could not possibly be obtained in anything like the complete form which would make them of value, because we cannot expect to get from the owners of private fisheries such Returns of the weights and value of fish as would represent the value of such fisheries, and would, therefore, affect their rental; and as it would be impossible to get these Returns, the Report in the form asked for by the hon. Member for East Norfolk would be useless, because it would not be complete. On the other hand, the Board of Trade fully recognizes the necessity of full Reports with reference to the produce of fisheries. I hope the Bill will be allowed to pass without any difficulty, because it is the first step towards the fulfilment of a promise given earlier in the Session to consolidate the work which is now divided 1567 between the Board of Trade and the Home Office. We feel that it is impossible to make any progress with the administration of fisheries until we can get the transfer of administration proposed in this Bill effected. The present Home Secretary is not in his place; but I know that he will fully support the views I express, and which are not arrived at without careful and constant consultation with the Inspectors of Salmon Fisheries, and I have reason to believe that the only objection found to the Bill was on account of the one point which I have removed from it. Under the circumstances, perhaps, my hon. and gallant Friend will not proceed with the Amendment.
§ Clause agreed to.
§ Remaining Clauses agreed to.
§ Bill reported, without Amendment.
§ MR. C. T. D. ACLANDI hope I shall not be asking too much in expressing a hope that the House will now consent to the third reading of the Bill.
§ SIR RICHARD WEBSTER (Isle of Wight)In the absence of the hon. Baronet the Member for East Norfolk (Sir Edward Birkbeck), I would ask the hon. Gentleman not to take the third reading this evening.
§ Bill to be read the third time upon Wednesday next.