Untitled

Hokitika Guardian, 11 July 1932, Page 4

We are afraid the outcome of Saturday' night’s meeting of whitebait fieshermen which was held in the Town Hall, will not have the results desired by the promoters. ■ It would appear that those present took up the wrong attitude in declining to discuss the proposed new regulations and in asking for a continuance of the regulations now in force. Admittedly, the present regulations do not meet’ the position in a satisfactory manner, and therefore there has been a demand for some alterations to be made thereto. After several years delay a draft of new regulations drawn up by the officers of the Department of Marine were sent down for discussion by the whitebait fishermen of this district, at which the Inspector of Fisheries was present to discuss them with those affected. This meeting, which unfortunately was not publicly notified, failed to attract a- number of those engaged in the industry. At the inciting the new regulations were d seusseil at length, the meeting lasting some three and a. half hours, so that there mint have been a fairly wide discussion. Exception having been taken to the lack of publicity given to the fir c t mooting, another meeting was called for (Saturday night by Rome of those not satisfied with the previous meeting decisions. There was an increased attendance at this meeting, but it was decided at an earlv rtnee of the meeting, arid without the proposed new regulations having b n on rend to present, to refus-* to' consider the new regulations and to ask for a continuance of thos'e at present in force. -“Is Mr O’Brien stated in the course of the meeting, the now regulations are being considered, and 't will be some job to prevent any alterations- being made. In these circumstances, it must he considered that a wrong attitude was taken up by the

meeting. It would have been far better to have considered clause by clause', those which affected the industry ih' this district, and to have entered a protest against what d-d not meet with favour, and have suggested a. remedy. As it was, the meeting declined to consider the new proposals altogether, so that what the Minister lnd promised, a.s the result of the efforts of the Member, that the fishermen should have the opportunity of discussing the proposed new regulations, ha,s not been availed of. This result cannot prove satisfactory either to the industry or the Minister, as it cannot be expected that because of the att'tude of one small group affectedj_the proposed new regulations will be cancelled while if a different attitude had been taken up the points of objection would at least have ' received some ventilation.