§ Bill, as amended, considered.
51§ Clause 1 (Establishment of sea fisheries districts and sea fisheries Committees).
§ On the Motion of Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH, words were inserted having the effect of extending the operation of the measure to Wales.
§ Clause, as amended, agreed to.
§ Clause 6 (Appointment and powers of fishery officers).
§
On the Motion of Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH, Amendment made, in page 5, after line 3, by inserting—
(5) A local fisheries committee may, with the consent of any board of conservators acting under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Acts, 1861 to 1886, appoint as an officer of the committee any officer of the board; and a board of conservators acting under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Acts, 1861 to 1886, may, with the consent of a local fisheries committee, appoint as an officer of the board any officer of the committee.
§ Further Amendments made.
§ Bill re-committed in respect of an Amendment to Clause 8.
§ Bill considered in Committee.
§ (In the Committee.)
§ (Mr. JACKSON in the Chair.)
§
Amendment proposed,
In page 6, line 21, leave out all after "require" to end of Clause, and insert—"Provided that any expenses which the local fisheries committee may be required by the Board of Trade to incur in the collection of statistics shall be borne by moneys to be provided by Parliament."—(Sir Michael Hicks-Beach.)
§ Question proposed, "That those words be there inserted."
§ DR. TANNER (Cork Co., Mid)said, he might, personally, be allowed to express his gratification at seeing the hon. Gentleman (Mr. Jackson) in the Chair, but he might also be allowed to say it was a very extraordinary fact that the First Lord of the Treasury, sitting on the Bench and passing a money clause in a Government Bill, should put his Financial Secretary to the Treasury in the Chair. It was an unprecedented proceeding.
§ THE CHAIRMANI may remind the hon. Member that the provision in this clause has already been sanctioned in Committee of the Whole House.
§ DR. TANNERVery irregular, all the same.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
52§ Bill reported; as amended, considered.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read the third time."
§ MR. MACINNES (Northumberland, Hexham)said, that anything like a multiplication of Local Authorities was greatly to be deprecated, and considerable apprehension was being expressed as to whether there would not be, as the Bill now stood, a certain amount of intersecting and interlapping of areas. He pointed out that owing to the difference which existed in the laws on the Scotch and English side of the Solway respectively a general fear prevailed that friction would arise. He understood that the same feeling prevailed with regard to the Severn. He wished to know whether the Bill was not to be pressed further in the present Session, but was to stand over to the autumn before being sent to the House of Lords; and, if so, whether the right hon. Gentleman in charge of the Bill would, during the Recess, consider the point now mentioned?
§ MR. ANDERSON (Elgin and Nairn)said, that while he thought the Bill was a step in the right direction, he, at the same time, considered it had certain defects. One great defect was that it did not vest in the Fishery Councils the harbours of the district. That especially in regard to fishing harbours was the most important part of the question. He suggested that the Government should introduce and pass a Bill in the Autumn Session conferring this power, and also a measure dealing with the fishery harbours of Scotland.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH) (Bristol, W.)said, that he had been in communication with the representatives of the Salmon Fishery Conservancy Boards throughout England, and in consequence of that fact he had placed Amendments on the Paper, which had now been inserted in the Bill, which would, he thought, remove the most important objections taken to it by those Bodies. He did not know what course the House of Lords might take in respect to the Bill; but if there was any general feeling that it still required further consideration in the country, it might perhaps be postponed by their Lordships till the Autumn Session. 53 However, it was well that they had been able to deal with the measure that day, because the result of what they had done had been to pass the Bill in the state in which he thought it ought to be, and in which he believed, if it became law, it would prove a very valuable measure. The great object of the Bill had been to constitute local Fishery Commissions; and he was unwilling to impose on those Bodies at first more duties than were necessary. As to the point that had been mentioned by the hon. Member in relation to fishery harbours, the question was, he thought, one for the future rather than for the present time.
§ Question put, and agreed to.