FISHING INDUSTRY.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 199, 6 August 1912, Page 4

FISHING INDUSTRY.

It may be noted as peculiar that while some members of Parliament are ready enough to disclaim any association with the expression of I Socialistic ideas they either en-J deavour, or permit themselves to be| used, to bring about an ever-increas-ing extension of the State functions. The latest example in this direction is Mr. G. M. Thompson, member for Dunedin North. This gentleman has come into office not as a Socialist by . any means, yet we find him suggesting that Government should make the fishing industry of New Zealand a national affair. First of all he has asked the Minister for Marine to consider the question of giving assistance to fishermen to buy boats, engines, etc., and as an alternative suggests that Government should take over the fishing industry, “so as to provide an improved, cheaper, and more widely-distributed fishsupply than at present exists, and to utilise more efficiently the vast ■ ana practically exhaustless resources] of the surrounding seas.” Those’ engaged in the fishing industry wilL no doubt read with great pleasure of the “practically exhaustless resources of the surrounding seas.” It may inspire the fishing companies with the hope that some day they will be handsomely recompensed for their invested capital. It will be also pleasant for housewives to know that when a beneficent Government turns fishmonger the succulent flounder and nourishing schnapper will be cheap and plentiful. But some people will be sceptical. A lot of objections will be raised. They may point to the fact that the fishing industry is just about as full of risks as it is possible to fill it and that the fish have no predilection for Government trawlers. They may point out that the flounder, schnapper, groper and kindred denizens of the deep are not unionists and they will not come out to be caught between the hours of nine and six, with half a day off on Wednesday. They may point out that for weeks on end > the “exhaustless resources of the; surrounding sea” are apparently ex-: hausted and that when the sea does give up its fish in large quantities, the people won’t buy because they, think it cheap and nasty. The peo- j pie engaged in the industry might ] tell the Government a good deal' more about it, but it may be taken as perfectly safe that they won’t tell much if a sale can be effected to the State. But, treating the matter seriously, it must be seen that any proposal to indulge in the fishing industry is open to the strongest objection. Where there is no known risk and almost definite results there may be some excuse for public enterprise. but where the risks are about as great as can be. found in commercial transactions Government has no ’ right to gamble with the people’s, money. There is plenty of private capital available to develop the fish- i ing industry if it can be made profit-, able. If it cannot be made profit-; able Government should keep out of ; the business. If there is any real de- : sire on the part of the Administra-j tion to push the fish industry, help: could be given in the way of distribution. The same arguments apply ’ in a great measure to the advance of i money to fishermen for boats, etc. ] The risk is too great. If public [ money is advanced for the purpose ■ ]of assisting farmers, fishermen, or workers, there must be ample secnr-; iry for the investment, otherwise the ■ business cannot be sound. Could ] fishermen give their security ? By ! the time they had paid interest on! ] their loan and insurance on their j crafts there would not be much j chance of the price of fish coming down. If it does not pa\* to insure a ! steam trawler it can hardly pay Government to take them as security for advances,

| another marvel. . The marvellous progress made m - electrical science of late such as to leaie the lay mind daz-.* and stupefied Lj the wonders revealed. It r, nut main u-au :ik» I that the good old sailing «h*P w a i the only jyvthud <»f cuimnuiiK jtion i between o\et: <as countries. Gy’y | came the wonder of the cable with ’its message flashed aiound the work, 1 in a few bnei seconds where months were occupied bifoie. In cities tti--1 message boy gave way to the tele- ' phone and the electric biough.-im ; and iramcar replaced the carnage i and omnibus. Then c ame to us th • , marvel of wireless tvlegraphx. Overhead wires or sunken cables iwere no longer necessary. The mesI sage flashed out upon the atmosi phere found its destination over ] mountain, vale, plain or ocean, j through sunshine or storm, and 'i 1 seemed that the last w’ord had been ; spoken upon electrical science, i Yesterday, however, we published a ■ cable announcing yet another won--1 dcr. An engineer at Heiligenstaet j lias been able to demonstrate the j possibility of transmitting power by wureless methods. He also claims that this can be achieved without danger. The possibilities which such a discovery open up are illimitable. In time to come we may find steamers at sea worked from the shore, trains driven from central station ;, I towns lighted and industrial power supplied as it were from the very I heavens. Undoubtedly we live in an age of progress.