WHITEBAIT FISHING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3692, 17 September 1927, Page 3

WHITEBAIT FISHING.

THE NATIVES’ RIGHTS.

Reporting on a southern petition presented to the House of R epresentafives this session praying that the use of set nets for catching whitebait in the Ashburton River be made illegal, the Native Affairs Committee recommended yesterday that the petition be referred to the Government for inquiry. Several southern members supported the report, amongst them being Mr. H. W. Ura (Southern Maori), who mentioned the geat importance of the matter to the natives of the district. They had the fishing rights to a certain reserve, but on account of the situation of the set nets the whitebait were intercepted before they could reach the reserve, and the latter in consequence was valueless. The Minister of Marine (Hon. G. J. Anderson) explained that the difficulty complained of had been experienced not only in the south but also in other parts of the country, but he hoped to have the whole question thoroughly investigated. The whitebait industry was a very important one, the canned product being in demand in other parts of the world. Individuals could not be allowed to buy up the bank of a river, conti’ol the whole of the running, and stop other people, including the natives, from coming in. The report was referred to the Government.

A further petition on the question was presented by Sir Maui Pomare. In this case the petitioners were the Ngati RaukazVa tribe iesiding in the Manawatu district, who asked for the removal of the restrictions imposed by the Crown on the stream flowing from the Whakapuni Lake, which prohibit the tribe front fishing for whitebait. The petition states that the lake was the? life water of the ancestors of the tribe, and was theirs to-day, the fish obtained being eels, flounders, and whitebait v This petition will be considered in the usual course.