THE OYSTER QUESTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13482, 8 May 1907, Page 5

THE OYSTER QUESTION.

V Sir,—As tho Hon. tho Minister for Marina will bo entirely in tho hands of tho oystermen during the ; proposed excursion on Thursday or Friday next, and will not have " tho benefit of the . presence of tho chief inspector, it may bo desirable, if you will permit mo, through your columns, to remind him that his companions for tho day will be thoso whoso infiuonoe in Auckland : on tho oyster gucstion has hitherto . controlled his Department, and their operations on our 'foreshores havo largely ; assisted' to , bring about a condition which threatens our rock oysters with extinction. This question> •is not only of great importance to the pre- • sent: inhabitants of this portion of tho ■ colony, but it vitally affects tho interests of future generations. Your old columns; will afford any amount of evidence of the truth of these, statements. '• 1

■:;•Tho- Minister.^will, of ; course, bo asked to take a backward step from the- ; position • ho 7 has taken up, and; to allow the,'at; presents ; thriving oyster-rocks ■■of s tho f Barrier, . of ; Ponui, ';i and Waiheke to/bo exploited, not i for the Auckland public, but for the benefit of the oysterm.cn! .71 sincerely trust that ho ■ will stand firm,/ that lie will not allow !those , islands;' to '■ bo ■}; molested;/; and/ that /ho will; carry out his intentions as regards the future,;! and tho /issue of exclusive oyster license*, notice of which ho has allowed to/bo' ,r pub»; { lished. [Tho question whether Auckland * is/ to be supplied 'with. l rock oysters during ibie'v and,' perhaps,; two or,.tHree following seasons/ is of; little importance! as compared f with'.-'■'. tho necessity of abolishing * old system of management (long since denounced as a/total failure), and of/ making moro efficient [arrangements to protect thooystewand to promote their reproduction. < ; * In your record of ; statements made to the Minister on Saturday last, some.corrections; or explanation seem to be required. >■ It was stated that the " small beds available for picking had been depleted," "but*; nothing/ was said of tho many miles of foreshore id Ilauraki Gidf, even at Coromandel and To Kouma, where, as an ariiclo of "food, the oyster is ; practically A" member ?of* the deputation said that at Waiheke, Ponui, and the Barrier \ largo numbers of oystora • were ; going to waste ; for want of picking, that the old oysters were hindering the development of the young ones, and retarding; their growth generally, and that those that were ready'to pick would die, and in dying would retard tho- growth of tho young oysters. "There is a ; groat:,deal: of nonsense ; and claptrap about all this. J How is 'it.'if thesej statements be [ well founded, that oysters [wero so abundant when we came to the country in the fortios : and fifties of ; last' century? 7 Were they not crusted and ;! recrusted over and over again as we found thorn ? Why had they not lied themselves from this cause .many ~ hundred : car ~ ago? Tho . truth 'is' that' Nature always provides some remedy for her own overcrowding. Certain it is that wo have never had oysters so abundant since tho oysterroatt7 appeared on the scone. Ameebt J. AUOH. Parnell, May 7. : '- ■ P.S.—ln my letter whioh you have kindly published in tho Herald this morning there is an error, probably caused by my having written indistinctly. Tho word " hold " has, been printed \ instead of '■ the word " howl." as I wrote, and which latter word conveys clearly what I intended. Tho other does not. ■ ' ,■,/;; ■■' - ;;■■: /-/;' ' .. Sir,— Albert J. Allom, in your issue of to-day, says "The press apathetically look on and say nothing, apparently unaware that our rock oysters are rapidly becoming extinct." .and at tho cud of his iotter, advises the Minister for Marine to take the advice of Mr. Ayson. It is by tho methods of management of Mr. Ayson that 7 the beds.; aro being depleted. Any sane man can understand that if the beds, when matured; oysters aro abundant, - are closed, t and the■ bods where_ no; mature oysters are; left are, opened ; until.. every oyster ;is taken . sway, there can be no, bettor plan adopted if wo desire the rock oysters to become extinct.; If we wish' to preserve the beds wo should open all ;areas,; that : are ready, for picking (the larger the better),. and close all • bods wliero the oysters aro /at V present not in sufficient /numbers to keep up tho necessary/ spawning power. 7 The whole trouble arises l through the: action of 7interested people, in trying to bring about the system of leasing, instead of State control. May ? % A. e?&SiC-si>..