District News.

Southern Cross, Volume 14, Issue 29, 15 September 1906, Page 9

District News.

STEWART ISLAND,'" The -weather is always a negotiable subject. We have had lately several samples^—some very good weather, with excellent results in the way of big catches of fish. Then we had a two days’ gale, and again, now, very, good spring weather, but poor fishing. Fish won’t always bite, it seems, and not even when a rise of price is offered, as has been the case lately. The Water Lily—good old wind-bag—keeps pegging away, making up in industry what she lacks in certainty.

I hear that a strong prospecting party, under Mr Eggleton, with boring rods, etc., has gone out to investigate in the direction of Pegasus. There is also some report of a "flaxmill being likely to be started up the Freshwater River.

Mr T. O’Byrne has been over endeavouring- to g-et sawmill hands to join a union. He had a meeting in the courthouse, which seemed a queer sort of place to hold such a meeting in. The Athenaeum Committee felt hurt that they were done out of a customer, and the quadrille party think that they have at least an equal right to get the courthouse on the cheap for their assemblies. Ido not think that many joined the union—most of the men seem to think: that there is little, if any, benefit to be derived from joining. The good men are fairly safe with their own value and a fair understanding with, the i r employer.

There are some new regulations in regard to men in charge of small fishing vessels, which am giving, great offence here, and I hear that an “indignation” meeting is likely, to be called here, to protest against such harassing. There seems to be no end to the imposition of difficulties placed in the way of all our little industries, and the key-note of it all seems to be the carrying of “deadheads,” which is insisted upon. One of the fishing boat restrictioos is that the person in charge must have had one year’s service on board ship as a deck hand. It would be more reasonable to insist on a ship’s deck hand having previous service as a fisherman. But we will see what comes out of the indignation meeting.