THE Bay of Plenty Times AND Thames Valley Warden.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 3913, 18 October 1899, Page 2

THE Bay of Plenty Times AND Thames Valley Warden.

The spirit of the Times shall teacn me speech. —Bug John, Act IV. Wednesday, October 18, lay 9. Many times have we written in these columns urging that while [ numbers in our community were struggling hard to stem the stream of poverty there lay around us an enormous store of/wealth undeveloped and only dipped into in the most casual way by two or three individuals. We allude to the vast shoals of marketable fish with which our harbour and the waters of the Bay of Plenty abound. So far no visible result has been achieved locally though doubtless we have helped someI what to form and strengthen the idea that in the fishing industry there is a mine of wealth which may, in the future, run our gold mines close in the matter of wealth-production. This belief ie now, we are glad to see, gaining ground all over the Colony and efforts are, at length, being made to comrueucH workiug our fisheries in a businesslike and systematic manner. Exhaustive enquiries have been made by Government experts as to the methods and practises in other parts of the world, not only of obtaining the best returns from the fishing grounds but of breeding and acclimatising fish from other parts of the world and increasing the numbers of those which are rare. There is a vast unsatisfied demand in almost every town in New Zealand, large and small, while iv the larger Australian cities New Zealand fish takes the first place in public estimation. During the past twelve months ex perimaots ia steam trawling have been made on various parts of our coastline with most satisfactory results, demonstrating beyond possibility of doubt that there is a rich harvest awaiting those who will set to work on the same businesslike lines as have been found profitable in other countries, far less favoured than our own, in the matter of harbours and sheltering islands. . That Tauranga in peculiarly well placed to be a chief >r at any rate a branch centre of a lig undertaking of this sort needs ittle or no demonstration and now is ludoubtedly the time for Tauranga jusinoss people to stir themselves tnd either by themselves, or by r »-opwating with those in Auck- j and who are now promoting a »« ishing venture, secure the es- •' ablishment here of canning cur og and fish manure works. As ? ome of our readers may remnm- ? er, we mentioned a *-hort time w go that a steamer with an ex- Cl erimental party of fisherman and there' interested, was visiriftg th«» ►ay of Plenty and Ha uraki Gulf. t 'he outcome of this is th«» forlatioh of the New Z«al«nd Traw- jj, ng and Fish Supply Compaay, tl liich proposes to establish a fleet U

if steam trawlers and keep a large ressel employed plying between ;he fleet and Auckland, to bring in ihe catches, for disposal in the various marketable forms of fresh ish, canned, cored or refrigerited for export, or fish manure. We' have already built, in Tauranga, works admirably suited to jarry out any or all of the manufacturing objects of the Company, the last of which alone could, we are well assured by an experienced man, be turned to most profitable account, benefiting not only the shareholders by way of dividends but the farmers of the district by supplying the very best oj manures at a minimum of cost. It has been ascertained by experts that of the 130 varieties of fish known in New Zealand waters there ate no less than 40 varieties marketable as food, which is the same number as are found in English waters, from which no less than £10,000,000 worth are obtained annually. Of the uneatable varieties all are useful for manure while many such as the shark can be turned to most profitable account; from its fins, isinglass is obtained, and this portion of its carcase is worth £28 in the Sydney market ; its skin, properly cured, produces the well-known and highly valued shagreen leather, while from its liver and other portions of its carcase oil, 'to quantities varying from, 5 to 50 gallons per fish, is obtainable by ! the simple process of rendering down. We should much like to see thia matter taken up seriously by a few of our more enterprising business men with a view either to starting an enterprise on their own account, or, perhaps preferably, approaching the Auckland Company with a view to the establishment here of a branch having the portion of the business last alluded to, as its chief aim.