Mr. CATHCART WASONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if, in view of the state of affairs in the Moray Firth, foreign trawlers being allowed to fish with impunity while British are prohibited, and if caught fined or imprisoned, he will state whether he is prepared to indicate the progress of the negotiations he may have conducted with foreign Powers with the view of closing such areas as the Moray Firth as breeding grounds for fish, in order to prevent the depletion of the North Sea; and if he will back up Scottish Law by British diplomacy?
§ The SECRETARY Of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir E. Grey)I can only repeat the purport of answers previously given. This is a matter on which the Foreign Office can conduct negotiations only to carry out the settled policy of His Majesty's Government. British diplomacy will certainly be used to the fullest extent in support of that policy, but I cannot instruct it otherwise.
§ Sir ARCHIBALD WILLIAMSONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, if his attention has been called to the disagreement between Russia and Japan with regard to the limits of territorial waters subject for fishery purposes to the jurisdiction of Russia; whether Russia claims a limit of twelve miles; and whether the question will be referred to The Hague Tribunal for a decision?
§ Sir E. GREYI received information from His Majesty's Ambassador in St. Petersburg last November that a protest had been made by the Japanese Government to that of Russia against the seizure of several Japanese fishing vessels by Russian cruisers outside the three-mile limit on the Russian Pacific coast. An Act was passed by the Russian Duma and the Council of the Empire in June last extending the fishery limit from three to twelve miles in all the waters of the Pri-Amur district, the estuary of the Amur being specially excluded from the scope of the Bill. I have no information as to whether the question will be submitted to the arbitration of The Hague Tribunal.
§ Major ANSTRUTHER-GRAYWill the right hon. Gentleman take steps to increase our own three-mile limit?
§ Sir E. GREYI must refer to the answer I gave to the previous question, No. 1 on the Paper. It has hitherto been our policy to uphold the three-mile limit. Until that policy is changed we can take no steps.
§ Major ANSTRUTHER-GRAYWill the right hon. Gentleman do nothing to help the fishermen on our coasts?
§ Sir E. GREYAs the hon. Member knows, there is more than one Department specially interested in the fishery question and more than one class of persons interested in the fishery question. Their views are not altogether the same, and probably the best way would be that an Interdepartmental Committee should consider the whole question.
§ Major ANSTRUTHER-GRAYWill the right hon. Gentleman see that that is done?
§ Sir E. GREYYes, I will discuss that point with the Prime Minister as to whether we should not have an Interdepartmental Committee to take into account the different views of the different interests, and discuss the whole question accordingly.