§ MR. J. CALDWELL (Lanark, Mid)On behalf of the honourable Member for Flintshire, I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that some fishermen on the River Dee, between Overton and Chester, who had been granted a net fishing licence from the River Dee Conservators, have received notice from some of the landowners on either side of the river that they will not allow net fishing on the river; and, if so, what steps are the Government prepared to take to preserve the rights of the public which have been exercised for so many years?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADEI am not aware of the facts to which the honourable Member refers; but I would point out that Section 34 (5) of the Salmon Fishery Act, 1865, provides that "no licence shall confer any right to fish in any place or at any time at which the licensee is not otherwise entitled to fish," and it does not seem to be the duty of the Government to intervene in any disputed claim to public as against private rights, such as appears to be involved in this case.