Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY DECEMBER 23, 1949 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 80, 23 December 1949, Page 4

Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY DECEMBER 23, 1949

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

In this, its last issue before Christmas, the Beacon wahts to wish all its subscribers, advertisers, correspondents and critics a happy Christmas and a bright, prosperous New Year. For us this has been a diffir cult year, but a progressive one. We have been able, by careful handling of our newsprint ration, to let our circulation expand steadily, though not so rapidly as the demand suggests the public would like to see it grow. With the increased circulation and a steady improvement in our news services, we have had to handle a tremendously increased demand if or advertising space,' and our biggest problem has been to try to maintain a reasonable balance between news and advertising.

It f is hoped that in the very inear future -we shall be in a position to solve that problem and to provide better services altogether. In the meantime, however, we want to express our sincere appreciation'to all those who have helped us along the path of progress during the year just ending. We value the loyal support of all our subscribers and advertisers. We are deeply grateful to the various organisations which adopted our suggestion of appointing publicity officers to help us to gather accurate information about their activities; and to the local body\ officers and public men who have readily answered questions for us so we can hand on the answers to the public. > Our country correspondents have helped us tremendously, and in thanking them, we wish also to thank all those people in their districts who* have helped them'in their news gathering on our behalf.-' As Jis usual with any newspaper that is “live” enough to command public attention, we have been criticised a lot, and to our we want to say a special word of criticisms have sometimes been unjust or ill-informed, their expressions of such opinions have helped by giving us chances to clear up ,misunderstandings. We can say with truth that every time we have published an attack upon ourselves and our reply to it, our circulation has increased. If the criticisms have been genuine, intelligent efforts to help, we have always adopted suggestions that were practicable, and we are always glad to have such ideas.

For our own part, -we have tried at all times to be fair if it has seemed to us our public duty to criticise anything about Which public opinion in this district has been disturbed. In politics we have tried to give credit where credit is due and haVe attempted to work for the good of the public at large rather than for any party or faction. We never have descended and never shall descend to suppressMg any honest expressions of opinion, or twisting news to give a biassed view of any question of public interest. The increasing support we have been accorded by the public has satisfied us that our attempt to play the game off a straight bat is being appreciated. With deep gratitude to all for their loyalty and understanding, we tender this Christmas greeting to everyone within our territory.

FISHERMEN’S COMPLAINT Featured in today’s news is a complaint by local fishermen that line fishing along this coast is being spoiled by trawlers -from outside districts which come close inshore and are alleged to be denuding local fishing grounds. \ If this is true —and the complaints are not from irresponsible people—then something should be done about it.

It is not legal, we believe, for trawlers to operate along this section of the coast within three miles of the shore. Yet it is

alleged by at least one responsible citizen that they have been v seen within half a mile of the mouth of the Tarawera River. We know that honorary Marine Department officers herehave tried to get this practice stopped. We know that anyone who is at all interested in the

problem of the undoubted dwindling of the numbers ,pf fish in local waters will want to see conservation measures drastically enforced.

But we also know that no effective action has yet been taken y •by the authorities. v Admitted, the offence these alleged *fish pirates are committing would not be an easy one to prove without definite, unshakeable evidence as to their proximity to the shore. Naturally, without a near certainty of that proof, the Department could hardly be' expected to prosecute, a But. it should haye, >-and no 1 doubt has, the means at its dis-: £ posal to get the evidenced / Most disturbing feature, of a disturbing situation is that mosty of these trawlers are believed to . be coming from outside this area altogether, and are suspected of supplying the Auckland market with our fish to the detriment of the livelihood of local men > and to the disadvantage of local 1 consumers. * N If they stayed outside the lawful limit, there would presumably be no legal cause for complaint. But iFvthey are not doing so, then their operations should be brought under the notice of the Minister himself as soon as possible with a request for immediate and drastic action.