ANGLING IN THE SOUTH.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16420, 14 January 1919, Page 5

ANGLING IN THE SOUTH.

: SOUTH CANTERBURY SOCIETY'S VIEW. 7 PROTEST AGAINST MINISTER'S ; INTERFERENCE. r In our issue of the 3rd inst. we pub--1 lished a report of an interview between e several South. Canterbury anglers and ; the Hon. T. M. Wilford, Minister for J Marine, in which it was suggested i that there should bo restrictions placed ' upon worm-fishing for trout. This matter was brought before a mooting of > the Council of the South Canterbury 1 Acclimatisation (Society at its last meeting, and the result is reported in the ; '"iimaru Herald" as follows: — ; Mr Lewis brought up the matter of • the deputation which Jiad waited on the Hon. T. M. Wilford in Timaru last I week to ask that a portion of the ; Opihi should bo reserved for fly fishing. ; Ho had been blamed as a member ol the Council of the Society, for having had something to do with the deputa- [ tion. As a matter of fact he had had nothing to do with it; nor had the Council of the Society. He would ■ leave it to Mr Pigott to explain. 1 Mr Pigott said he quite expected to . be "put on the carpet" in connexion f with this matter. He explained that i Mr Wilford had been stopping at the Grosvenor hotel, and from information gleaned he had himself suggested that a deputation should wait on him. It ' was purely a private deputation and had nothing to do with the Council of • the Society. The president said that he had been asked to form one of the deputation bus he had doclined, because he did not feel that he had a right to go and speak for the Council without their I authority. Moreover, life did not think that one portion of the Opihi should ' be set aside for fly . fishermen to the > detriment of others, though personally , it would suit him admirably. Further, i he did not consider that the request made by the doputation was _ in tho I interests of fishing in general in South i Canterbury. J I Mr Low is said that some members of the deputation had not held a license i for two or three yeai's. The president said that he had seen • tho Minister privately, and had put ' the other side of the case before him as forcibly as he knew how. Tho Minister had told the doputation that he . intended to gazette part of the Opihi for fly fishing only, and it was for the Council to say whether they approved of this. Mr Millton said that Vhilo he approved of fly fishing he thought the Minister had behaved in a very highhanded way in saying that he would do this, without even consulting tho Sonicty. Mr Lewis said he was of the same opinion, and ho proposed: — "That this Society protest against the contemplated action of tho Minister in. proposing to interfere with, the government and local regulations covering tho taking of fish in the Opihi river. Further, this Council will consider any such alteration in the present regulations as an act of discourtesy and want of confidence." Mr Clinch, who seconded tho motion, said it was quite unfair that private individuals _ should take - this matter to the Minister after it had been threshed out at the annual meeting of the Society, and turned down. Mr Millton said that the annual meeting had certainly turned it down, and now the Minister apparently wished to take control out of the hands_ of the Society with even consulting them. This was discourteous, to say the least , Mr Lewis 6aid they must he a useless body if resolutions passed at their j annual meeting could be over-ridden in I this wav by the Minister. The president said the Minister had not treated the Society with that . courtesy which was due to _ it. The J Minister would have acted in a much more graceful way if ho had told t.io deputation'that he oould not give them an answer until he had consulted the governing body. Mr Jamieson pointed out that they had nothing official before them, merely a newspaper report, and it seemed to him that they were a little bit premature. , . The president said the report had nevei been questioned, and the Society must act as the Minister had said that ho would gazette a portion of the Opihi as a flv river unless a deputation of "wormers" waited on him to show cause why he should not do so as it any body of men would wait on him as confessed "wormers." (Laughter.) Mr Blackinore said there would be a big falling off in their revenue if the Opihi were reserved, in part, for fly fishing. The president said he thought there was a' much deeper reason for the lack of fish, than "worming," especially in view of tho fact that the .Society limited the bag to 25 fish in one day. Mr Stead and- Mr God by that what was required was m '?*"p scientific knowlodge in connexion with pisciculture, and he believed they were right. Mr Wilford was on sound ground when he said that new blood was wanted, and that societies should amalgamate for the nurposo of re-stocking the rivers. New Zealand had taken the matter up thoroughly, and had liberated several millions of yonng

trout last 6eason. «It would be a simple matter for the Government to import ova and it among tlie Societies at" little more than cost price, for, say, live years. There would then soon be a change in the rivers. The worm was a legal bait, and it would he absurd to say that a man could use it on one side of a bridge, but not on the other side. No doubt those who had hute below the bridge would not object to the river being reserved for fly awvo the bridge. Mr Clinch asked what 6ort of fishing a man would get above the bridge if the worm were used below it. (Laughter.) The president; There would be no fish to go up stream. He did not use the worm, and personally _ the Ministers proposal would suit him well, but it would be unfair. Mr Jameson eaid that the deputa* tion only represented a part of South Canterbury. There were streams in othor parts that could be reserved 1 for fly fishing if it was thought necossary. It seemed to him that what they wanted was a more extensive system of, ranging, and they could not afford it. A great deal of harm was done by poaching. Mr Millton said that at the annual meeting of the Societies the members refused to agree to waters being set apart exclusively for the fly, and it was strange that the Minister should step in coolly and say, in effect, that he would give effect to the wishes of the minority. He (the speaker) was one of the minority, but he could not approve of the Minister's method in the matter. _ t . The prosjdent said that if the Mm-' if,ter did as he said he would do he (the speaker) would retire from the presidency of the Council. Mr Pigott said the deputation only asked to liave part of the river reserved for the fly; they did not think it fair to ask'for the part below the bridge to bo gazetted. (Laughter.) They would hayo to go ill for re-stock-mg or they would soon eee the end of their fishing. Unfortunately some men would take the last fish out of our rivers, and shoot the last grey duck. The president; Yes, including some who formed the deputatibn. (Laughter.) Mr Blackmore said that much harm was done by having such a lo.ng season. A. mouth should lie cut off the end of it, as the fish taken then were full of spawn. "Worming could not be the cause of the falling off,,as there were very few fish in the Rangitata now, and ths worm was never used there. It \vat> very evident that the Minister (lid not know that the Society limited the bag to 25 for a'day, when he made his Statement. Mr Macdonald they should protest against the Minister interfering with the Society's affairs without consulting them. Mr Jameson said he thought they should tone down the resolution pro- , posed by Mr Lewis. After all they had nothing official before them. On his suggestion the last sentence was deleted, and after the word river the words "without consulting the Society" were added. In this form the motion was carried unanimously.