The great body of gentlemen who attended the Conference of
the fishing industry which assembled on Tuesday at Fish- mongers' Hall, were unanimous in their condemnation of the railways, and seem to have a solid case. Their contention is that the Railway Companies have not only raised their rates for the carriage of fish to so high a point that it is cheaper to send fish in special steamers, but are giving preferential rates to foreigners. The English fisherman, for example, pays 5s. 6d. for the carriage of a barrel of fish from Folkestone to London, while the French fisherman sends the same barrel from France for Is. 8d. Norwegian fish costs 15s. a ton for the land carriage to London, while fish from the North of Britain is charged 70s. The land transit of Irish fish, again, costs 24 a ton. In the two latter instances, distance must be taken into account ; but the illustration from Folkestone is a reductio ad absurdum. The meeting unanimously resolved to lay the matter before Parliament, and from the number of electors now interested in the fisheries, it is sure of a fair hearing.
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