PUBLIC MEETING AT KAIAPOI

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2015, 9 August 1880, Page 3

PUBLIC MEETING AT KAIAPOI

On Friday evening a fairly attended public meeting was held at tho Institute hall, to protest against the action of the Acclimatisation Society in proposing to ask the Government to close the Waimakariri for net fishing. Dr. Ovenden was voted to the chair. The Chairman explained that tho Mayor was unavoidably absent. Ho then read tho requisition calling the meeting, and proceeded to say that he considered the Acclimatisation Society was going a little too far in protecting fish which could protect themselves. The large.’ ones of the finny tribe, ho pointed out, were such cannibals that they ought to be caught to give the others a chance.

Mr R. H. Mathews moved the first motion —“ That this meeting views with alarm the powers sought to bo obtained by legislation by the Acclimatisation Society of Christchurch to monopolise the fishing in the Waimakariri, and prevent the public having liberty of fishing either in it or its tributaries.” He pointed out that at present there was no proof of poaching going on in respect to the fishing in the river. He had never heard of any of the imported fish being caught except by the savans of the Acclimatisation Society, and it was to bo regretted that in a new and free country any attempt should bo made to introduce the obnoxious game laws of the mother country. Mr R. Woodford seconded the motion. Ho trusted that the matter would bo warmly taken up, and the action of the society protested against. He was truly surprised on reading the report of the society’s meeting in last Friday’s papers. It seemed to him that the Christchurch men thought they wore all Canterbury, and in order that a few of them might have a bit of fishing all the rest of the province must be shut out. fHear, hear.] It was stated that the society had sent a letter to the Government asking it to protect the fishing to the Society, but the purport of that letter was very 1 carefully not stated, and the fact that the purport of it was kept back was sufficient to give rise to suspicions. The society appeared to bo aiming at getting a prohibition j against fishing for all time. Now this was decidedly unfair. The Government out of the public funds had voted various sums in several years of £SOO and upwards to the society, and any benefit which arose from its expenditure was clearly for the public good. He pointed out that there was a doubt whether there were salmon in the river or not, and supposing salmon had come in, there was still a doubt on the speaker’s mind as to whether they were from stock placed in the river, or from fish which had found their way from some other part of the coast. He trusted that the meeting would bo unanimous in condemning the arbitrary action of the Acclimatisation Society. Mr E. Pavnham supported the motion, maintaining that if the society chose to place its fish in the river, it was all nonsense to say that parsons should not be allowed to fish for the native fish. The fish placed in the river ho asserted were paid for out of public funds, and he pointed out that the very idea of their being referred to as special fish would lead to their being caught in the same way, and by the class of men who were making the pheasants scarce. Ho had several acres, and knew that ho fed a large number of pheasants, of which ho had only had one bird this year. It was a notorious fact that the game was being kept up for a certain class, who got the benefit of it, and it was now time to make a stand. The present meeting was a stop in the right direction, as the public were as much entitled to the game in the country as any members of any acclimatisation society. Mr Ellen protested against any attempt to rob an Englishman of his privileges. It was most unjust that the rich man should be allowed by Act of Parliament to fish and shoot, and the poor man should be prohibited. Ho had never heard of any salmon being caught or sold from the river, and it was time enough to ory out when there was any danger of a certain class of fish being exterminated. Those fish, about which there was such a fuss, might be protected by certain penalties for killing them, but it was monstrous to say that the’ river must be closed for fishing because certain fish had been caught in it. The river, he assorted, ought to be free to row in, free to swim in, and free to fish in. The motion was put, and unanimously carried.

Mr Pinching moved the second motion, as follows :—“ That the Government be requested not to bring clauses 7, 11 and 12 of section 4 of the Fisheries Act, 1830, into force in respect of the Waimakariri; and that clause 13 may be brought into operation, as this river has always supplied Christchurch with the choicest fish that can be obtained in Canterbury, and that the enforcing of the above clauses would stop the supply of fish and throw a number of men out of employment.” The mover pointed out that the best kinds of fish sent to the Christchurch market were supplied from the Waimakariri. The action of the Acclimatisation Society, ho contended, was an unwarranted and impudent attempt to

interfere with the privileges of the subject. He warned the meeting of this attempt to get in iniquitous game laws. They and their children must not be fettered with those things, and a stand must be taken now. Mr Caleb Smith scomded. He would be sorry to s*e nets placed across a river, but when there was sufficient apace allowed for fish to pass, the Government ought not to interfere. There were some dozen men depending upon tho fishing industry, and ho wished to know if those would be compensated for lots of employment by tho Acclimatisation Society if their pretty scheme was matured. It was generally known that the members of that society did not study the public good so much as their own amusement. Now if it wanted its amusement, why did not the members start a little river of their own, stock it with fish, and protect it as much as they liked. [Laughter.} In tho old country tho disputes over game and fish were matters of serious strife between landlords and tenants, and watchers and police had to be kept doing nothing else. Now, to carry out tho views of tho Acclimatisation Society, the next stop to reserving the fishing to its members would bo the maintenance of a body of police watchers at the expense of the taxpayers. Ho did not suppose anyone would object to a reasonable restriction as to placing nets in a river, but, they would all oppose any attempt to put an entire restriction on fishing. The motion was unanimously agreed to. Mr W. Fraser moved, Mr B. Revell seconded—“ That the foregoing resolutions bo forwarded to Mr 0. 0. Bowen, and that he bo asked to use his heat efforts to give the same effect.” Carried unanimously. A vote of thanks was accorded to tho Chairman, and the meeting terminated.