MINUTES OF EVIDENCE.
213
THIRTEENTH PUBLIC SITTING.-TTJESDAY,
JANUARY 23rd, 1900.
at 11 o'clock, a.m.,
At the Old Law Library, Four Courts, Dublin.
Present:—The Right Hon.
Lord Justice Walker, in the Chair; Professor D.
J.
Cunningham,
f.r.s.,
t.c.d.
; Professor W.
Carmichael MTntosh, f.r.s.
and Rev.
W.
S.
Green ;
With the Hon.
Granville William Hely-Htjtchinson, Secretary.
Jan.
23, 1900.
Mr.
Henry Robinson, b.l.,
j.p.,
examined.
5182.
Chairman.—You
are going to tell us some¬ thing abont Connemara ?—Anything
I can, sir.
5183.
Well, you ought to know a good deal about it.
Has your fishing at Ballynahinch fallen off?—Oh,
very much.
5184.
I believe that is my experience, too.
Is there netting outside in Ballynahiuch ?—No,
no netting now.
5185.
General Beresford does not net ?—No.
5186.
Is there any netting in the open sea?—No
netting for salmon.
5187.
Or white trout?—Or
white trout.
5188.
Nor has there been any netting for a good many years?—Not
for a good many years.
Under General Beresford's lease, the owner, Mr.
Berridge, had a right to net one day in the week.
General Beresford's lease has been going on for the last ten years, and the owner did not exercise that right foi some time.
It was only for one day in the week, and for the last few years he has not exercised the right, so I do not think that could have accounted in any way for the decrease.
5189.
Before that, while Mr.
Berridge had it in his own hands, was it netted very much?—Not
much.
At one time there were two days in the week given.
5190.
It never was netted in my experience very much ?—No;
my first experience of it was that it was netted very closely, ancl there were cribs; but the rod fishing was better than it is now.
5191.
When I knew it first, I think it was in 1867, it was only netted one day in the week, or two days in the week?—
That was before General Beresford's lease.
5192.
It was when old Blackadder managed it ?—
Quite so.
It was managed by my father, and Black-adder was the head man.
5193.
What about the preservation of the fish?—I
have the list here.
There are a number of watchers at Ballynahinch.
There are 61 appointed by warrant as water bailiffs.
5194.
People who go out with you?—Yes.
They are employed in the summer season.
They get about *4 for the close season, and then they are employed with the gentlemen who come to the hotels, and they get the benefit of what is going—3s.
a day, or 2s.
6d.
a day and their lunch in the summer season.
5195.
I think, as well as I remember, speaking from what they told me, that they get about £2 10s.
jjwry as water bailiffs ?—1
have £4 down here.
Ibis was written out by the.
clerk of the Con¬ servators Board.
There are some fisheries, I believe, *here there are only £2 10s.
or £3 paid.
I think on General Beresford's it is £i.
5196.
Professor Cunningham.—And
I think the payment they get per week, when they act as gmies, is higher than you say ?—When
they are out nshmg they get so much a day as boatmen.
5197.
I thought it was 22s a week and lunch ?—
Mr Henrr No ; they are not paid by the week.
They are paid Robinson, by the day; though, if a gentleman was out fishing B.ii.,
j.p.
for a week, he might employ the same man.
5198.
Chairman.—No,
they are always employed by the day.
I believe there is a regular tariff— 2s.
6d.
or 2s.
?—In
my time it was 2s.
on the printed tariff; but, of course, gentlemen give more than that, and you had to follow suit, and it went from 2s.
6d.
to 3s.
They were too well paid, in fact.
5199.
Mr.
Green.—This
district is very well pre¬ served.
Would you say it was specially well pre¬ served ?—No.
5200.
Well, it ought to be?—It
ought to be.
I do not know whether I should confine myself to answering questions, or whether I may say any¬ thing.
5201.
Chairman.
— We should like to know, because you say the over-netting is not the cause of the diminution ?—Certainly
not.
5202.
Therefore there is another cause?—I
do not believe in natives much as watchers.
Of course, it may not be quite right for me to say what I cannot prove; but I am perfectly positive there is poaching carried on to a large extent.
5203.
What are the head waters you preserve—up to Glenina?—The
head waters of the Ballynahinch: fishing go up to Lynch's at Bunscarriff, on one side, passing Recess, and right through Ourid Lake to where we used to change horses before the railway.
The water-shed divides there.
It runs into Screeb on one side, and Ballynahinch on the other.
5204.
It meets the Screeb upper waters?—Yes,
and up to Glenina, close to Kylemore.
5205.
Apparently you think the bailiffs might be enough in number, but you should like the system altered?—They
are enough in number.
What I think is, the water bailiff, when he has only a small salary—£3 to £i for the season—if he gets anyone poaching, it means he will be prosecuting his own relations, and what I would like to see would be some head independent man—one or two over these water bailiffs again—to see that either they were not asleep in their huts, or to surprise them not doing their duty; because, when you come to think, that the amount of fines received by the Board from 1890 to 1899 were—Nil in 1890; in 1891, £4 Is.
Sd.;
1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, nil; 1899, 2s.
5206.
I suppose you think the appointing of a few head men—independent men—unconnected with the district would be a great improvement?—A
great improvement.
5207.
Of course, that means money, too ?—It
does.
5208.
Because they would require a much bigger salary than these men are getting ?—They
would re¬ quire a salary thaD would make them independent.
But I know, in my father's time, the head keeper, such as Blackadder you spoke of—he was a man that had just come from Scotland—a man that went out with his gun.
There was another man called Hill,
