NEGLECTED FOOD SUPPLY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16672, 17 October 1917, Page 6

NEGLECTED FOOD SUPPLY.

i ♦ 1 i The most practical of the sugges- i tions made by the Cost of Living ] Committee of the House of Kepre- i sentatives is that more attention ' should be paid to the fishing industry so that a cheap and plentiful supply of fish may be obtained for the community. The Hauraki Gulf ' is a prolific fishing ground, but until < within the past two or three years ' fish was a luxury in Auckland, and would have remained so but lor the Hekald's persistent advocacy of the removal of harassing and foolish restrictions upon trawling. An J imaginary line was drawn from \ Cape Colville. to Cape Rodney i

— I, within which no trawl must be dropped- Even now trawlers have / to steam 20 miles to the authorised fishing grounds and 20 miles back to market their catches. This is an = inexcusable waste of expensive coal and dear*labour, which is reflected . in the present price of fish. All that is wanted to bring an abundant supply of fish to the market and to enable the food to be sold at a low price is the removal of the existing " limitation of the trawling grounds, a Subsidies from the State need not t be discussed. They are unnecessary, t If trawlers were permitted to e operate beyond Rangitoto the quantity of fish landed in Auckland would force prices down, and transit e facilities on the fast trains would '■- enable half of the North Island to ,- share the cheap supply. Even if a the prejudice against trawling is , not removed the maintenance of the restrictions during the war can hardly be insisted upon by anybody ' professing a sincere desire to assist ■" in reducing the cost of living. •1 Something might also be done to t increase the supply of flounder from { the Thame-? fishing grounds, and the available food supply can be ' greatly augmented in the trout season by permitting the sale of trout from Lakes Taupo and 1 Rotorua and the Waikato River, t Season after season this food is i wasted, year after year trawlers are . refused access to a great natural j source of food. While this is permitted it cannot be said that the I ' Government and Parliament are taking the course lying nearest to " their hands to reduce the cost of ' living. r