MR. BAZLEY-WHITE (Gravesend)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he has received a Memorial from the fishermen of Gravesend, praying that boats from Greenwich and Blackwall may be prevented from fishing in the Lower Hope with illegal nets, called "stobard nets," by which the fry and spawn of all kinds of fish are destroyed, and the livelihood of the fishermen taken away; also that sewerage matter may be prevented from being brought down the river and deposited at the entrance by the steamships Barking and Bazalgette, whereby great harm is done to the fishing; and whether the Board of Trade will take such steps as may be necessary to remove the nuisance complained of?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Sir M. HICKS BEACH,) Bristol, W.I have received the Memorial to which the hon. Member refers, in which complaint is made of the use of stow be it nets, and the deposit of sewage in a part of the River Thames which is under the jurisdiction of the Thames Conservancy. A copy of the Memorial was forwarded to the Conservators, who have replied that instructions have been given to their Harbour Master to carefully watch and report all cases of a breach of their bye-laws.