Go ndeontar suim Bhreise ná raghaidh thar £25,000 chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1940, chun Tuarastail agus Costaisí i dtaobh Iascach Mara agus Intíre, maraon le hIldeontaisí-i-gCabhair agus chun íocaíochta in aghaidh cúitimh.
That a Supplementary sum not exceeding £25,000 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending 31st March, 1940, for Salaries and Expenses in connection with Sea and Inland Fisheries, including sundry Grants-in-Aid, and for a payment on account of compensation.
As I mentioned on the Second Reading of the Fisheries Bill, after further consideration we have come to the conclusion that, although the late owners of the River Erne fishery had lost their case legally, it was considered that in equity something should be done by way of giving ex gratia compensation to them. I also explained that it was rather difficult to know what the amount should be, because an arbitrator would be appointed to assess compensation for the owners of the fisheries dealt with in the Bill and we might at a later stage take a headline from the awards of that arbitrator and try to give something in line with his awards in the case of the River Erne fishery. We do not want of course to prejudice him in any way. Therefore the best we can do is to give an amount on account, it being understood that at a later time when the arbitrator has made some awards we might come back and say that something more will be given to the people concerned; but it will probably be ten or 12 years before any more can be given.
Deputies may ask why we decided on this amount. This fishery was purchased in 1869 for £45,000. We have documentary evidence of that. We also have documentary evidence that in 1926 a sixth portion of it was bought for £12,000. On these figures one would be inclined to say that the fishery which was purchased in 1869 for £45,000 was worth about £70,000 in 1926—that, of course, was the whole fishery of the River Erne. We are only concerned here with the tidal portion. The fresh water portion still remains in the hands of the group. They state that the fresh water portion is of no value whatsoever. That would be decided by the arbitrator. I think, taking all the circumstances into account, £25,000 is as much as we could give at the moment. At the same time, it will be admitted that we are not going too far. In other words, the arbitrator will almost certainly award more than £25,000. If the river came under his judisdiction, or came up to him for decision, he would almost certainly award that amount. The freshwater weir portion will, of course, come under the arbitrator's decision at a later stage. It will come up to him for decision. When the ownership in the freshwater weir portion is being taken over, it will then be easier to decide what further amount should be paid by way of total compensation for the whole ownership of the River Erne.
