Plans for the Fishing Industry The Government's policy in iegard
to fisheries, partly stated by Major Elliot last Monday, must be studied from two points of view : first, in so far as it concerns the catching and importation of fish, and secondly, the transport and marketing conditions within the country. The latter are at present extremely unsatisfactory, and the proposals for reorganization, which are promised but not yet ready, will be a matter of great moment, both to traders and consumers. In regard to the first stage—the bringing of supplies to port—the measures to be taken may be regarded in some respects as analogous to game laws. Over-fishing is a real danger, and it is a sound policy to prevent depletion of the waters by standardizing a larger-mesh net and creating close seasons in regard to certain fishing grounds. Also, since we are committed to the principle of regulation of supplies, and unregulated and spasmodic landings of fish are completely demoralizing the market, there is much to be said for Major Elliot's proposal to fix the importation of foreign supplies at a definite figure. Such a measure, if properly carried out, should involve no hardship, since a glut more often means the wholesale destruction of fish than any advant- age to the consumer.
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