§ MR. MORTONI beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether he will state to the House where the fishery cruiser, which should have been off the coast of Durness, on Sunday, the 9th of September, was; and whether fishery cruisers are not on duty on Sundays; and, if so, what steps, with a view to prevent illegal trawling, does he propose to take to prevent its being known that the cruisers are not on duty on certain days in the week.
§ MR. SINCLAIRIt was not the special duty of any fishery cruiser to be off Durness on Sunday, the 9th of September. Fishery cruisers are frequently engaged in patrolling on Sundays, and there are no days in the week on which they are not on duty subject to the necessities of refitting.
§ MR. MORTONHow is it the fishery cruisers never discover these trawlers in Durness Bay? I have seen them several times.
§ MR. SINCLAIRI imagine the trawlers take very good care not to meet the cruisers.
§ MR. MORTONWill the right hon. Gentleman put some faster cruisers on this station?
§ MR. HUNT (Shropshire, Ludlow)What is the use of these cruisers if they cannot catch the trawlers? Is it not a perfectly useless expense to keep them there?
§ MR. SINCLAIRIt is far from being tho case that these cruisers are not successful in their work.