§ "Page 11, after clause 25, insert the following clause—
- "(1) The council of any county district comprising the whole or part of a fishery district under the Fisheries (Ireland) Act, 1848, may make towards the expenses of the board of conservators of such fishery district a contribution not exceeding in any one local financial year a sum equal to a rate of one halfpenny in the pound on the rateable value of the county district at the beginning of the year.
- "(2) A district council making such contribution may appoint annually such number of persons as the Lord Lieutenant may determine to act as conservators of fisheries for that fishery district, in addition to, and together with, the conservators under the said Act."—(Mr. Gerald Balfour.)
§ MR. VESEY KNOXNO amount of representation could be reasonably pro- 625 posed to the county council to give them any real voice in the proceedings of most of these Fishery Boards, and power should be given to reduce their number. In most cases, the boards are absurdly large, and I venture to think the Government ought to have taken the same course as other governors had on the new governing boards of smaller size, where there was some proportionate representation of the county councils and other interests of the community. As the clause now stands I do not believe it will have any operation in this respect. If the county council find that they only get three or four representatives out of some 90 or 100, they will not make any contribution, and nothing will be done. And I venture to say that if power were given to reduce the number of these boards it would be a great improvement. I dare say the right honourable Gentleman will not have time to consider it now, but I would ask him to consider that point for the Report stage.
§ Clause read a second time, and added to the Bill.