§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading, read.
THE SECRETARY TO THE BOARD OF TRADE (The Earl of ONSLOW), in moving that the Bill be now read a second time, said that for some time past fishermen had complained of the destruction of immature fish, and of the increase of steam trawlers which could go into the shallow and less accessible parts of bays, and were in the habit of destroying young fish and throwing rubbish into the estuaries of rivers. Some time ago a Commission, under the presidency of the late Lord Dalhousie, had inquired into the subject, and made certain recommendations, some of which were embodied in the Scotch Fisheries Act. The Scotch Act gave power to the Fishery Boards to prohibit fishing within certain areas and to make bye-laws and regulations. An objection, however, remained in the Scotch Act, and that was that there was no representative of the fishing industry itself on the 1630 Board. In this country there was now machinery at hand, in the new County Councils, to which it was proposed by the Bill to entrust with a power to regulate fisheries in their districts. The Bill proposed to add to the Fisheries Committee appointed by the Borough or County Council a number of representatives of the fishing industry equal to that of the members of the County Council. The Bill would enable sea fisheries committees to be established on every part of the coast where they might be required. There was one important omission in the Bill, which he hoped to remedy if their Lordships read the Bill a second time, and that was that Boards of Salmon Conservators had not had their authority preserved by the bill as it came up from the other House. The salmon conservators had made representations to the Board of Trade on the subject, and he proposed in Committee to insert regulations to meet the defect.
§ Moved, "That the Bill be now read 2a."—(The Earl of Onslow.)
§ Motion agreed to; Bill read 2a accordingly, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Tuesday next.