TAUPO FISHING

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 56, 3 September 1926, Page 10

TAUPO FISHING

I —•— ATTITUDE OF SOCIETIES A PROPOSAL REJECTED An interesting discussion took place regarding Taupo fishing at the Acclimatisation Societies' Conference on Wednesday. An amendment to the tentative remits "was moved by Mr. H. Johnson (Auckland) as follows:— "That this conference protests against the new scale of fees for Taupo and Eotorua, and recommends that in lieu of the fixing of special fees in tho special fishing districts in Taupo and Eotorua the Government should authorise an all-roimd increase in fees for fishing licenses to be available throughout the whole of New Zealand on the following basis: —(a) The present fee of £1 be increased to £.1 10s for the season, and that the fees for the short term and ladies' and boys' licenses be correspondingly increased, (b) All local acclimatisation societies to hand over to the Government one-third of all such license fees, the revenue therefrom to l_e exclusively used by the Government in the conservation and propagation of fish, and the defrayal of any obligations of the Government for fishing right. In making this proposal we are confident that it will work satisfactorily to the societies and the Government alike, and we believe that no other proposal will yield sufficient to the Government to meet the obligations. '' The president, Mr. L. O. H. Tripp said that one-season licenses for Taupo had been fixed by the Government at £.6 for oversea visitors, £3 for non-residents, . and £2 for residents. Weekly licenses were fixed at £2, £1, and 10s, and daily licenses at 15s, 7s 6d, and 2s Gd. Eotorua licenses were fixed at £1. Auckland, said Mr. Johnson, regarded Taupo as its fishing area. There were no fishing streams north of Te Kuiti. Auckland's revenue had been some £900, but if the Government scale was put into force Auckland would be lucky if it got £200 in revenue. The Government should take into consideration that Taupo was first stocked by the Hawkes Bay Society with brown trout, and by Auckland with rainbow. The Government had paid Eotorua £6000 per anum in reality for fishing rights. "They have paid to Natives, in this . case, £3000 "for the right to fish, when they have not contributed at all to tho stocking of the lake. The Natives claim to have lost the native inanga, but they have gained something much better for their pig food in the trout. The scheme the Government has put into operation must increase the administration charges. It means that every license issued in Taupo must involve a declaration whether the man is a Taupo resident or an overseas fisherman.!' Auckland wasnot going to get anything for what it had put into the lake. The Government was oven putting in fry of poor quality now. "ILL CONSIDERED SCHEME." "If the Government expects to get £3000 for the fishing rights it will be disappointed," said Mi. Johnson. "It will only mean increased poaching. Tho Government .rill be lucky if they get £600. On the other hand all men who could afford to pay £1 for a season license would be prepared to pay 30s for bettor fishing. On the basis of my motion the individual societies' revenue will benefit, and the Government will get more than its £3000. South. Island people may think that this is a resolution, framed for tho North Island. I will admit that we are extraordinarily concerned in the matter of, the Auckland revenue in the light of the Government proposals, and we appeal to South Island people to secure to us our only fishing grounds, Taupo. Although the fishing in the South Island may not b so good, they have the qufrmat and Atlantic salmon there. • I recommend that this motion be brought to the notice of the Government as a protest against its ill-considered schema. It has not consulted anybody who is going to pay, and it will bo thoroughly disappointed with the result." SOUTH VERSUS . TOKTH. Mr. T. H. James (Wanganui) said it was up to the societies to support Mr. Johnson's views. Fish were being speared with potato forks, and the fish were covering the ground or fed to pigs. • He did not think the societies should sit down and take everything the Government forced on them. Mr. E. Eussdll (Southland): "While my sympathies aro with the mover, I do not think he has the right to penalise every'other society in New Zealand by 10s for the good of Auckland. Take my society. We sell 1100 licenses, the bulk of them to wage-earn-ers. It would be a groat hardship to them. We certainly do - think that there should be separate licenses for Atlantic salmon, as we have to go a long way to get to them." Colonel J. E. Hume (Nelson) said that one-third of-tho license holders of his district were also in the earning class, only able to fish nearby streams at week-ends, and he could not agree to the proposal. Mr. J. H. Edmondson (Hawkes Bay) agreed that his society would lose a lot of revenue through the regulations. The Government was out to get as much of the £3000 back as they could. Fishing in Taupo was not conducted in a satisfactory manner. Trolling was allowed too closo to the shore, and, fishing at the mouths of rivers should not be allowed during tho last two months of the season. Mr. A. C. Henderson (Waimarino) said that they had been told by the Maori interpreter that £3 licenses wore in the agreements with the Natives. Mr. Whitney: "I do not think so." Mr. Edmondson said that the Government had agreed to give a minimum of £3000, and the Maori was to got 50-50 of any surplus. "If that is true," he said, "the Government was pulling our legs when it said that it would consider the matter nest season." . ~ Mr. Johnson said that it was the Government proposal that licenses be increased to £3 a year. He had not intended his motion in any parochial spirit. They had merely wished to help the Government out of it. Mr. Stead (North Canterbury) pointed out that the Atlantic salmon was included in tho Auckland licenses as well as in others. Mr. Johnso-i: "Yes. But we do not get a cut at them." Mr. Johnson's amendment was lost.