SECOND READING. (Hansard, 14 June 1892)

THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIAN

My Lords, I have to apologise somewhat for asking your Lordships to give a Second Reading to this Bill to-night, because it has not yet been circulated; it has just been printed, but I am afraid your Lordships have not yet had an opportunity of considering its provisions. I have the less difficulty, however, in asking your Lordships to give the Bill a Second Reading now, because I have already introduced this Bill in two Sessions, and your Lordships have passed the Bill on those two occasions. I need not therefore go into detail about the Bill beyond saying that there are two main alterations in it as compared with the Bill which your Lordships passed last year and the year before. The first of these provisions is that whereas in the Bill of last year it was proposed to give the Secretary for Scotland power to divide Scotland into four fishery districts, for the purpose of each of 1030 those districts returning a member to the Fishery Board, and for other purposes, it is now proposed under this Bill to divide Scotland into five districts, so that the Fishery Board will consist of ten instead of nine members as proposed last year. The second alteration is one perhaps of rather more importance. It is proposed to give the sea fishery districts power to form sub-committees in their several districts, and one of the main powers either of the Fishery Board itself, or which they could delegate to sub-committees, is the power of acquiring and dealing with mussel beds on the coast of Scotland. Your Lordships are no doubt aware of the great difficulty that there has been, and that exists now, in obtaining mussel fishery beds on the coast of Scotland, especially on the east side; and one of the main objects of the Bill is to try and arrange for a cultivation of mussel beds, and putting them under the authority of the Fishery Board of the particular fishery district; so that the fishermen may with greater case obtain the bait necessary for their calling. Another provision under Section 4 of the Bill is that money will be voted by Parliament for the necessary expenses which will be incurred under the Act if it is put in force. My Lords, I think I need not explain further the provisions of the Bill. As your Lordships have not had an opportunity of seeing it, I shall, of course, be prepared on the Committee stage to give any further information for which your Lordships may think it necessary to ask. With these observations I beg to move that the Bill now read a second time.