§ MR. MORTON (Sutherland)I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether he is aware that the herring fishing at Shetland, their only industry, is threatened with extinction by whaling; and whether he will, in accordance with the recommendation of the Departmental Committee of 1904, restrict the licences granted to not more than one steamer for each station.
§ THE SECRETARY FOR SCOTLAND (Mr. SINCLAIR,) ForfarshireThe information before me does not bear out the anticipation of my hon. friend. The Fishery Board is the licensing authority and they cannot impose other restrictions on the issues of licences than those 503 authorised by the Act of last year. That Act, while restricting all new licence holders to one steamer, instructs the Fishery Board to allow additional steamers, but in no case more than four in all, to licence holders, whose factories at 1st January, 1907, were large enough to require such additional steamers for their proper working.
§ MR. HUGH LAW (Donegal, W.)asked whether the right hon. Gentleman had not received a petition extensively signed by Irish fishermen in support of the point put by the hon. Gentleman, urging that whaling in either British or Irish waters would be destructive to the herring fisheries; and, if so, whether he would not take it into consideration.
§ MR. SINCLAIRsaid he was aware that a petition was signed by Irish fishermen in regard to whaling on the coast of Ireland, but he had no knowledge of any further action on their part.
§ MAJOR ANSTRUTHER-GRAY (St. Andrews Burghs)asked whether, in the event of its being proved that the herring fishery was harmed by the numerous whalers, the right hon. Gentleman would limit the number of these ships.
§ MR. SINCLAIRsaid that no limit could be placed except by further legislation. When the circumstances to which the hon. Gentleman alluded occurred, the Government would take them into consideration.