THE ROTORUA TROUT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 429, 11 February 1909, Page 6

THE ROTORUA TROUT.

':■■:■; STATEMENTvBY'SIR; J.. WARL\. V} : :■• ;(bY .-TEIiESBAPK— SPECIALCOSSESPONDEirrJ.';':, '';:;'';,,:; ;';;-'■;;; -Rotbrua, : FebruaryiO.;;:: > The Prime Minister .(Sir Joseph; Ward) ! and ;.'. the Minister for .Railways-(the' Hon. J. A.;. : Millar) both tbrew, : o£f the cares: and responsi- :' hllities of: office,/for -.a..few. to-day,,:.. : whichi they pleasantly spent in fishing the' lake. ■ They returned' in the evening, with a 1 - : ."basket" of 44 trout,;.well satisfied with the; j reSults;of :: .:/.•:;:; :■ X; In alluding:to:,thO:fish-:--itt'-tli6' Jake in : the;., course,of his iremarks .con-'.' cert this-evening, Sir Joseph; Ward remarked ;: :that; it. had been said.-,by some; people that.'.: the -fish. in ;.;the lake .were .all' .''slabs!',':. ;-'■ (Laughter.) : : He wished. to : give that statement .an : emphatic -.bohtradiction., '(Ap- ■' plause.); ; He had, he;said,.been:out fishing. ■'. ■that;day;'with'bis'-.colleague,' and-ofith'e' 44 , .fish that they caught only seven had to be : put ; aside as being .of •au -inferior description! v He thoughtthiswas a.verysmall proportion, ■■ !: and he.doubted.;whether ,a>:better 'result: could bo. any.744J.salt .water . fish. '-.. "When peoplowho had notafull knowledge' of the facts-talked: about'their fish' in the way referred; to,, it ;was;. calculated to ; damage the place, and such ill-judged criticism ivas much to be regretted. At.the proper time ihe' Government would make a close examination with a: view: of nrevontirig the; existence of 'any:, inferior fash, in future. , (Hoar, hear.).. He believed it could be done, and the Department would-do it .at the pro-:! per .time, .and:lie.hoped "that those whonow .; ■ complained if they occasionally- caught a "slab!' would hot have anything to criticise ■ in. future. : The- matter... wa3 ■ one' that; de- "- served the closest attention with the. view, of ; preserving- the .sport on: a satisfactory basis. ■■•/.