THE CHATHAMS FISHING GROUNDS

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 984, 26 November 1910, Page 6

THE CHATHAMS FISHING GROUNDS

• -*- •■■ • ~ ". - FIRST .SHIPMENT ARRIVES. . In the,early hours of yesterday morn? ing the s':eam trawler Nora Niven crept up Port Nicholson and berthed at the. Ferry Wharf with a part cargo of fish— the first received from the new fishinggrounds at the Chatham Islands. It was ; only a small quantity—some sis tons-of, . blue cod and hapuka—but it is no doubt, the forerunner of larger ones to come., Mr. J. M'Leani from whose station at'. , Kaingaroa tho first fish have come '. to Wellington, states that there is an abundance of fish at the islands. "The.ha- ■_ puka come , along in ■ shoals like her--":" rings," said Mr. M'Lean.- "Immediately you cast your lines you pull up three j)lue cod at a time.. The reason for the small quantity of fish brought up this trip by the Nora. Niven," he went on to say, "is because we had only been fishing . • for three days, and her visit was somewhat unexpected. Nevertheless it given some idea of the quantity of fish with .. which the waters in the vicinity of the ' Chathams abound. The- work of completing the refrigerating, plant is finish- . ed, and when the trawler .left every--thing was in full working order! This plant consists of an ammonia engine with a capacity for freezing 100 tons of ■ fish. A. 16 .horse-power boiler genoratce tho steam used, the coal haying, been taken down by the schooner Clyde on " previous trips to the islands." , Mr. • M'Lean added that he had also converted a salt waiter lake into a fresh,one by, building a concrete dam along tho sea-. ..' ward side of the enclosure, thus .preventing the waves from washing- over into it ■'■■•■ The fresh water hereby attained is con.* ■" veyed by means of pipes to the works—, •, a distance of. three-quarters of a mile. . - The Nora Niven, on her run down to.. the islands; met with exceptionally foggy; •weather, which delayed her for,twenty- - four hours. Arriving on Sunday, November 20, the little vessel left again for. Wellington on Tuesday last, and made a, record run up of 53 hours. The schooner Clyde, in ballast, left a couple of hours before.the Nora Niven, and should show up at .Wellington either to-day or : tomorrow. She will return with coal next trip. The Nora Niven leaves port for Hawko's Bay- at 6 a.m. • to-day, and ia to proceed from Napier to the Chathams on December 5 to pick up. a load of fish for the Chatham Islands Fishing Com- •'. pany. On her return she will leave again about . December 13 for Mr. M'Lean's . depot. . ....-.:.. Wireless telegraphy is much needed at • the Chatham Islands, in Mr. M'Lean's opinion, and he stated that, he has a man thore' now who could and would erect, a station to receive messages, but he docs not feel inclined to face the expense incurred for a transmitting ma-., chine, which has to 'be necessarilystronger than a- receiving one. • "If the Government would do something in the direction of a wireless station at the island," continued Mr. M'Lean, "I woilld give every assistance in my power with , my plant, and it would be of great benefit to the settlers there in many ways." When the Nora Niven'was down at Kaingaroa- news was received that part of .a name-board, evidently belonging to some ship, was picked up bearing the words "Garnet Hill," on Waitangi Beach. The only vessel bearing that name is' a barque of 2149 tons register, and she was built and launched at Port Glasgow in ISDO for the Alliance Ship- . ping Company, Ltd., of 31 St. 'Vincent fclace, Glasgow. Her name has not ap-pNU-ed in the "Sydney Shipping List" during the last sis months.