Fishermen Reply To Minister Of Marine

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30677, 17 February 1965, Page 1

Fishermen Reply To Minister Of Marine

“I am concerned that, if the past is allowed to die, the assistance which is urgently needed by the industry may not be forthcoming as quickly as we hope it will be now that this subject has again been ventilated,” said Mr J. P. Davies, secretary of the New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishermen, yesterday.

He was commenting on a statement, reported in “The Press” yesterday, by the Minister of Marine (Mr Scott) at the opening of the second national demonstration of Japanese equipment and techniques at Timaru on Monday. Mr Scott said: “I had hoped that with the start of a new era in the fishing industry, everybody would have forgotten the past and thought only of the future.”

Mr Davies said he was quite happy to let the past die, but the industry had accepted in good faith what the Government had said about the development of the industry and the provision of finance to it as to many industries fostered by the Government.

“The industry is still waiting,” Mr Davies said. Mr Scott also commented on remarks by Mr Davies in “The Press” on February 11 in reply to an allegation by the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) that the industry was to blame for its lack of development. Mr Davies told the Prime Minister not to pass the buck back to the industry. LICENSING Mr Scott said he took the strongest exception to Mr Davies’s statement, and said he hoped it was Mr Davies's personal opinion and not that of his organisation. He also said the Government abolished restrictive licensing after 27 years, not at the request of the industry, but on the unanimous decision of a Parliamentary select committee.

In reply, Mr Davies said that his previous remarks had made no reference to restrictive licensing. “Nor do I propose to reargue the pros and cons of restrictive licensing at this juncture,” he added. “I would point out to the Minister that my original remarks were addressed to the Prime Minister, and not to the Minister of Marine. It appears that Mr Scott is replying to my statement apparently on behalf of the Prime Minister.

“If Mr Holyoake had not made his statement on the industry, no comment would have come from me replying to implications that the Gov-

eminent had given us an extra limit to territorial waters and that it was up to the industry to exploit it without the promised finance.” Mr Davies said he could assure Mr Scott that he had expressed the opinion of his federation. “Mr Scott has worked very hard to assist the industry,” he said. “Where is he being retarded? Is it by Treasury? If this is so. it is not purely Mr Scott’s responsibility but rather his Government’s.” Mr Scott also said: “Fishing boats from three foreign nations have already caught fish adjacent to our shores. If we are not prepared to catch our fish and sell it to them, we shall have a job stopping them coming here either to fish joint ventures with our people or on their own."

The best way to stop them, Mr Scott said, was to make the grounds less attractive by more fishing. “It is no good saying it cannot be done. Peru in 15 years has gone from nothing to 9,000,000 tons to top the world,” said Mr Scott. PAYMENT OF LEVY

Mr Davies replied that commercial fishermen commenced contributing a levy on January 1, 1965, of Id in the £ on every pound of fish landed before processing, to assist with the support of the Fishing Industry Board and its development programme. To this end commercial fishermen were shareholders in the development of the industry. It was not enough for Mr Scott to give figures for Peru without saying what that country had done in scientific research and economic incentives to fishermen.

"My federation is working and has worked for the last 13 years for the development of the industry. We must have a scientific brain to direct the research programme and assimilate and present information as it is obtained to the industry. As far as I know the board has not obtained a top-level marine scientist and biologist," said Mr Davies. Mr Davies said it was not his intention to commence a battle of words at a distance. He was more than willing to confer with the Prime Minister or any member of his Government at a convenient time.