Oysters

Horowhenua Chronicle, 31 August 1915, Page 2

Oysters

A MAULNE iUSi'OLU , From the annual report of the iNoav Zealand diarme .Department line Chronicle extracts the ioltowiug interesting items:— lho Department continued to pick rock-oysters in tlie Hauraki Gull and the Day ol Islands last season. The beds have improved so mucli thai/ a greater (quantity tlian was picked could have been talien had there been a "Tcater demand iur Uiem. 'ino quantity picked and sold was 8,30' l sacks, and. the amount realized was JJ'3,7'J3 Gs Gil., and the net profit made was £1,0(5-1 135., part ol which has been used to replant depleted areas. 1 saw some ol the beds in Dtccinber and January last, when they were m linst-dass condition, and they should this season meet all demands—'which is a very diflejcut state of things from that which existed niicii me Department took Liie picking in i'JUS, at whioh Lime they wuic oecoumiig j uy the indiscriminate' u ' u ' cll was carried on uy private piclieis. The price charged is lbs Ud. a sack ,r. the depot in Auckland, ami iu ad..tioii to disposing ol them by, the sack the Department is now selling them at the depot in cruantitiec* or live dozen lor Is., and a kerosene-tin full, or about eighteen dozen, for 3s. These parcels have met with ready sale, 307 sucks having been sold in such parcel's to persons who do not require so large a quantity as a sack. The beds iu Hokiauga Harbour, which were very much depleted by uveipicking when the system of private picking was iu vogue, having recovered, they -were picked last season, and the oysters were sold locally at 10s a sack. They are being again picked this season and sold ihi the klokianga district at the same price. Of the oysters, 8,301 sacks, picked hust season in the ilauraki Gulf, Hay of Islands, and Hokianga, 7,523 sacks were sold at Auckland, 255 at llussell, 38 at Hokianga, 2-18 at New Plymouth, 138 at Gisborne, (30 at .Napier, 12 at Hokitika, 8 at Grcymouth, PJ at Wostiport, 2 at Patca, 13 at WangaiiUii, 13 at Wellington and 2 at (jhristchurch. There are now large quantities of niaugrove-oytstors growing on the man-grove-trees in the north of Auckland, and as there is no market for these oysters in Saw Zealand it would bo ad\isable to export them to Australia, which formed a j;ood market for them before the export of rock and mangrove oysters was prohibited. The oysters taken from the Foveaux Strait beds last season were 24,71)3 sacks, valued at £12,390' 10s., of which 3,285 sacks, containing t502,050 dozen, valued at £2,3' Jo', were exported to Australia. Thirteen Inspectors of Sea fisheries, of whom eight were members ol the Police Force, were appointed during the year. Mr llendy Stephensoii, who has been Inspector oi Fisheries ai the liay of Islands since the Ist September, !B'J2, will retire on superannuation .at the end of October next. lie has been a most capable and zeaiuus officer, and 1 regret the age-limit nccee&itates his retirement.

Tohoroa.—The toheroa-bearing coast in the Kaipara district lias been mil up into reasonable areas for leasing £o being iixed as the annual rent lor each area Provision was 'made in the leasing regulations that il two or more person* apply for the same area Ihe onu having a canning factory in operation is to receive the lease, and if there are two or more applicants who have lactones, the one who has had his factory the longest is to receive preference. Tenders were invited for the leases, but only two were received, and as these were lor the same area and both tenderers had factories, the preference clause had to bo put into operation.