§ MR. WEIRI beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether he is aware 1481 that, although in the case of Middleton v. Patterson the High Court of Justiciary decided, in January, 1904, that fishing tenants on the sea coast cannot compel their men to slap the nets on Sunday, the Conon Fishery Board, Ross-shire, have intimated to the Portmahomack salmon fishers that, notwithstanding the foregoing decision, the Board requires the nets to be slapped on Sunday, when through stress of weather this cannot be done on Saturday, and, seeing that the fishermen of Hilton and Balintore, who are employed by the salmon fishers, absolutely decline to give any form of Sunday labour, he will consider the expediency of communicating with the Conon Fishery Board on the subject, especially having regard to the fact that the fishermen in these villages are exposed to the risk of loss of their employment.
§ MR. SINCLAIRI am aware of the case referred to by the hon. Member and my attention has also been drawn to the later case of Macrorie v. Forman. The matter is, however, one for legal interpretation and action, and the Secretary for Scotland has no powers which enable him to open communication with Conon Fishery Board with the purpose of controlling their action.