§ CAPTAIN SINCLAIR (Forfarshire)To ask the President of the Board of Trade, in view of the operation in Scotland, especially in remote districts, of the rules now in force for ascertaining the tonnage of fishing boats, under which owners of such boats must, if they desire to have the tonnage correctly ascertained, apply to a Board of Trade surveyor, whoso fee and travelling expenses, unavoidably great in amount in the case of visits to distant parts of the coast of Scotland, fall to be borne by the fishermen, whether he will consider the advisability of increasing the number of Government officers authorised to discharge this duty either by adding to the number of Board of Trade surveyors, of whom there are only a small number, and these in the populous parts of Scotland, or by endeavouring to obtain the co-operation of 1233 the officers of the Fishery Board for Scotland, or by any such other provision as may seem to him fit.
(Answered Mr. by Gerald Balfour.) Under the present regulations the tonnage of fishing vessels can be measured by Customs, Coast Guard, or Fishery Board officers, but if the owner of the vessel; wishes the crew space to be deducted from the tonnage, the Sixth Schedule to The Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, requires such space to be first surveyed and certified by a Board of Trade surveyor. The Board are not at present prepared to promise an increase in the number of their surveyors in Scotland; but every care shall be taken to prevent avoidable expense. I may add that the whole matter is receiving my careful consideration.