STATE FISH.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10538, 13 August 1912, Page 1

STATE FISH.

HOW TO RUN THE BUSINESS

GOVERNMENT' MEMBER'S SUG-

GESTIONS. [From Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, August 12. Convinced that the nationalisation of the fishing industry is the only means by which New Zealanders will be ablo to profit by the plentiful supplies around our coasts, Mr G. M. Thomson, Dunedin North, asked the Government to consider' this proposal. Tne reply was sympathetic, and Mr Thomson is quite prepared to demonstrate that nationalisation will do all that 1,, required in tha way of ensuring legulai and cheap supplies. To a representative of tho Times" Mr Thomson gave some interesting particulars of tlie factois m the problem. "To begin with, we do not know yet the extent of jui fishing grounds," he saicl. Within the last fortnight two men in a wnaleboat went out from. Port Chalmers thirty muss, and using 150 fathoms of line b-'ough, in an enormous catch. Iney aie sjc to have netted £Bl between them. This evidently has an impcrtar.t + healing on the general question. _ Hithei o both trawl and line fishing nave been considered payable only within the thirty-fathom iL, hot probably working m 60 fathoms oi more. Of course this could not be regularly done in whaleboats New Zealand has no large outlying beds. Its sn cs are mostly a continental shell slopm Q gradually into deep watei. WHY IS FISI-I DEAR? "It is not because of the existence of rings," replied Mr Thomson to the query, ''Why is fish dear in New Zealand'' J " "The dearness, he continued, ''is 'due to tho imperfect means employed to obtain fish, tne hmited supply which is regularly available, and the absence of proper means o prese - ving surplus catches. - will quote the auction prices of .august ° ton to show that the middlemen aie certainly not making a big pi out. ihese Sees, I am reliably informed, are a S average of those for the yas tow or five months. jßutter fish 1 fetched Is 3d to Is 5d each, schnapper about 61b3 2s to 2s 3d, groper about slbs 2s, moki 2Jlbs,lod, groper weighing 351'0s 16s each. WHAT SHOULD BE DONE. " What I advocate is that at one of the main ports the Government should as an experiment run larger and u.tfcer trawlers, provide coid stoie* m which surplus fish could be kept in ice and not frozen, because freezin o .-J----ply spoils fish for eaung, and a pi-c* where suitable fish could be smoKed oi kippered and supplied to the maiket on regular dates. All fish eafght, even if unsuitable for food should be brought in and dealt with. JMiormoui quantities of such fish are taken both by trawlers and fishermen, and are uvstroyed, though many would yield oil and all yield phosphatic ..y mere desiccation." CHEAP ICE ESSENTIAL. "The Government could assist in preserving fisli; to ensure regular daily supplies by selling ico at reasonable prices. For example, m Aberdeen and other large fisning ports, ico .is purchased at 7s 6d a ton, less o per cent for cash and a bonus dependent on the quantity taken. In \YeUmgton_ ico costs £4 a ton, which is prohibitive. If fish is packed in layers of ,ice n, will travel long distances without damage, and I think the Government should give the same facilities _ for cheap carriage of fish as are enjoyed by fruit producers." < THE WASTE OP TROUT. An enormous waste of trout goes on at Rotorua and Taupo which, in MiThomson's opinion, could easily be prevented bv erecting a kippering plant at a cost'of about £ISOO. Trout could then be supplied to all parts of New Zealand. "It is estimated that tney get 150 tons of trout yearly at those places," said Mr Thomson, "and it is mostly wasted. If a hundred tons could be treated the return at threepence per pound would be £2BOO, but the public would pay three or four times as much with pleasure. We have a good precedent for State control, because it is indisputable that the Auckland oyster-beds have benefited and supplies' have improved as a result. The same principle should app.ly to the beds

in Foveaux Strait and Stewart Island, where the oyster-beds are being partly depleted. It would also be easy to spread the fine round oyster over many parts of New Zealand, such as Cloudy Bay, Tasman Bay, etc., at comparatively small cost. An oyster-bed has sprung n.p without any assistance from fishermen at Pinvensbourne, in Otago Harbour. It has probably developed from oystors dumnod out by fishermen and others. Nationalisation of the fishing industry will not bring the State into competition with an established business, but will really create a beneficial industry out of a chaotic and uncertain state of affairs."