The Oyster Trade. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2840, 19 August 1908, Page 9

The Oyster Trade. TO THE EDITOR.

Sic,— l think the gentlemen engaged in the trade have not read the Sea Fisheries Act of 1907. section 6. Under this act the Minister may employ such persons as" he considers necessai-y for picking oysters, etc. ; the Minister may cause such oysters to be sold ; the Governor may makeregulations; every person -is liable to a fine of £10 who stacks, paddocks, or beds down rock' oysters without a permit from the Collector of Customs; and the Gover-nor-in-Counoil may make regulations prohibiting or regulating the possession of oysters during the close season, provided) that oysters deposited during the oyster, season in any freezing works may be taken out for consumption during the close season j under a permit granted by a Collector of , Customs or Inspector of Fisheries. i\ j I think this should allow canning during the close season. It certainly authorises . oysters' being put in. the" freezing works during the open s-eason and! taken out for consumption during the close season ; and from the way i the Minister has dealt with trout out o£ < season, which can be taken out for con« < sumption in the close season uuder a per- j mit from the chairman or secretary of the*' local society. I should not anticipate much; difficulty. For two years L have, as secre-, tary, authorised trout to be taken out by, their owners as wanted from Fairfield", works. One of our anglers who 3iow hasj removed to North Canterbury, put 12 trout? into the Islington works, and when he' wanted one of them for dinner I applied!, for him for a permit to get them from the works. He then received a letter from the' secretary stating : "As the trout can only be taken out. of a freezing works during a close season for the purpose of consumption. T shall be pleased to receive a formal application from you .giving particulars when the trout were lodged in the freezing works, and a declaration (tie) that it " is only intended to remove them for the pur- . pose of consumption, and some information whereby the society can be assured that j the trout arc only being removed for that purposej' and upon receipt of your applica. tion I shalL place the same be-fore the council at its next meeting." (The meetings are monthly.) The letter from the freezing works said the trout wcra authorised to be removed in two Jots onl;v As .a month after the trout were not released, I forwarded both letters to th» Minister, and received a reply that, pending regulations being gazetted, the department had written the society asking it to arrange for the fish to be taken out in such quan- j titics as may be desired. I pointed outi that, as in this case, a hostile chairman anej secretary could defeat the purpose of the* aot, the secretary of the local society should j visit the freezing works not later Than May, 2, and authorise the manager of the works to deliver on demand of the owner all' trout legally deposited during the ope'il season. If the trout are legally deposited 1 ,. j w.hat does it matter when they are taken! out? As the Minister, by writing the' society, did what he could to facilitate their i removal, and as the Minister sells thoj oyfetcrp. and they are deposited during the, open season by the purchaser, I do not , think the Collector of Customs would refuse f.he permit. I arranged with the late* Colonel Pitt that trout could be lodged), during the open season, and he agreed to embody it in the act. The clause wag moved in committee by Sir W. J. Steward, , and Sir Joseph Ward said he would accept the clause if Sir William would ackl " oysters," which was done, and the bill 1 passed. The Acclimatisation Society has nothing to do with oysters; the law in regard to them being administered by tha local Collector of Customs. — I am, etc., A. H. Shxet.

Ashburton, August 13,

It is stated that £W per acre has been paid for royalty on timber on land up the Main Trunk line, and as much as £25 per, acre has been dema-nded lately. A bill to restrict the use of pea rifles is to be introduced into the Victorian StateParliament. It will provide that they shall no be fired off within any municipal -*3i6trict without permission, of the loca! council. Twenty Frenr-h vessels have called a 1 Hobart for orders this year, and 22 ara on the ivav to that port for the sam« purpose. Th.pv arc bounty earners. They are bound there from various parts oJ the world. Which ie the best Milking Machine? Wa will gladly give you the names of those who use the HARTNETT; ask them.— NIMMQ & BLAia.