FISHING BOARD

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30478, 27 June 1964, Page 14

FISHING BOARD

£5OOO Grant “Pitiful”

The £5OOO provided in the Government estimates for the coming year as the initial provision towards the cost of establishing the fishing in-, dustry board and its operating expenses was a pitiful amount and absolute nonsense, the national secretary of the New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishermen (Mr J. P. Davies) said yesterday. “If the board is not getting any money, it may as well pack up and go home,” he said.

Mr Davies said the fishing industry had been led to believe that £1 million was to be set aside to build and buy fishing vessels. “When is the money to be allocated?” he asked. “It is needed and it was promised." The industry was very disappointed with the board. It had done nothing in the time it had been functioning. The industry was very concerned that the Government had made no effort to'implement its promises made through the former Minister of Marine (Mr Gerard) and the present Minister (Mr Scott).

This concern was intensified particularly when the im dustry had agreed to accept a levy of 1 per cent to assist the functioning of the board, said Mr Davies.

“The industry is looking to the board for assistance with research and development, and to the Government to do what it said it would do in discussions held over a long period,” he said.