CATCHING FISH.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1367, 19 February 1912, Page 5

CATCHING FISH.

A QUESTION OF AVERAGE ; EAKNINGS. (By TeleEranh.-Special CorrcSDondonU Auckland, February 18. What are a fisherman's average earnings? was a question that cropped'up in Auckland on Saturday, at a meeting ol fishermen. One s]>caker suggested X'i a week. The sum was pooh-poohed as too large by most of those present, however, and one fisherman declared tho average was JI2 or 355. In this connection, another speaker present said he wished to draw attention to a letter that had ai>peared in tho "Star" slating that tho writer had seen a cheque butt showing that one fisherman had earned as much as JMO in one week. Ho would point out that this w«s quite an exceptional ease— it was not hook and line men who had made the largo haul It was some of tho Kaipara. men. There, were three, or four men in tho bant, and, perhaps, a mile of net was out. The largest amount earned by a hook and lino fisherman was .£3O, but during that same week one of tho oldest fishermen, with three men, had ouly earned lis. (id. for tho week. The fisherman who had earned the JC3O in a week was present at the meeting, and explained that ho hud always been very luckv on the fishing grounds. His statement; showed that he had worked tho whole week witli an nljsolnte minimum of sleep. So worn out was he that when he had finished his heavy task he slept continuously for 2t hours. The chairman stated that he had never been able to purchase a hou<o, although ho was a lion-smoker and an abstainer, and had been a fisherman lor 31 vears. Another speaker remarked that ho had bought a dozen mullet for bait, and used a tin of benzine, and hig harvest of the soa had been eight sohnapper!