MR. FIELD (Dublin, St. Patrick)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the last report of the Congested Districts Board, in which it appears that the Board paid the Arran fishermen for spring mackerel £2,861, and to railway and steamship companies for freight £2,676; to Cleggan fishermen £2,516, and for freight of same to railways £1,884; to Doonloghan fishermen £191, and to railway companies for freight of same £162; whether he would state the weight of fish carried in each case, and the charge per ton per mile; and what steps the Congested Districts Board propose to take to secure reasonable freights for the haulage of fish from the West of Ireland.
§ * THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. G. W. BALFOUR,) Leeds, CentralThe figures mentioned in the question are correctly quoted from the last report of the Congested Districts Board, but it is necessary to observe that market charges and salesmen's commission are included in the amounts under the head of freights. I am afraid I cannot give the freight charges per ton per mile, but a statement of the through rates per ton to English markets has been forwarded to the hon. Member for his information. The Congested Districts Board having been in communication with the carrying companies on the subject of a reduction in the rates, the companies have recently agreed to equalise the charges for one and three ton consignments this season. The Galwav Steamboat Company have made a reduction of about 14 per cent. in their charges.
MR. FIELDI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the fact that over 47,000 tons of fish were landed on the Irish coasts in 1898, exclusive of crabs, lobsters, and oysters; and that of this amount only 14,364 tons, inclusive of crabs, lobsters, and oysters, were carried by the Irish railways in 1898; and, considering that more than two-thirds of the fish landed on the Irish coasts have not been conveyed to market by Irish railways, whether he will direct the inspectors of Irish fisheries to make inquiry at the different Irish fishing ports into the causes which prevented the sending to market by railways of such a large proportion of the fish landed on the Irish coasts, and issue a return of the result of the inquiry.
§ * MR. G. W. BALFOURThe figures quoted in the first paragraph are taken from a return recently laid before; Parliament. As regards the second paragraph, it is the fact that steamers are mainly employed in the conveyance to England of fish caught off the Irish coasts. The reasons for the adoption of this mode of transit are already well known, and it is unnecessary to make the further inquiry suggested in the question. These reasons may be stated briefly as follows: Carriage by sea is cheaper than by land and sea combined; the boxes in which the fish are packed receive less handling than they would if sent partly by rail and partly by sea; the fish are more easily kept cool in the hold of a steamer, and consequently they reach England in better condition.