STOCKING STREAMS WITH FISH.

Patea Mail, 7 July 1882, Page 3

STOCKING STREAMS WITH FISH.

In tlie annual report to the Wanganui Acclimatisation Society, Mr H. M. Brewer, F.L.S., the hon. secretary, says,:— • The principal efforts of the society fpr the last two years have been devoted to •stocking our streams with salmon and trout. Nearly every stream within a. radius of forty miles, if, at all suitable, has been stocked with either a large or small number. Three thousand five hundred were put in the Turakina River, and altogether nearly 20,000 have been turned out. The whole of this large number have been hatched in Wanganui from ova procured from Dunedin by the hon. sec. Your committee think that, for a

time at least, the funds of the society can be devoted to other purposes. They would not advocate giving up hatching entirely, but would propose that three thousand ova of the brown trout (salmo fario) be sent for, and two thousand ova of the American brook trout {salmo fontinalis). The total cost of the consignment would be about £3O. A small sum will be asked to be voted for putting down a small concrete pond in connection with the hatching boxes. This is found to be absolutely necesary, as the fish cannot be kept for any length of time without it. After the absorption of the egg sac they fade away and die rapidly. There are ponds in the district which are now well stocked with perch. If an artificial pond were-, provided the ova of these perch could be collected and hatched, which would be much cheaper than sending for the young fish. One of the best efforts of the society has been the introduction of the British salmon, the true salmo salar. A consignment of five thousand ova arrived in fair order, out of which the hon. sec. hatched out four'thousand five hundred and sixty young fish, and safely deposited them some twenty miles up the Wanganui River. As there was, no ice available the result of this hatching may be looked upon as exceptionally good. The thanks of the society, are due toMessrs Duigan and Howe, who not only gave the services of the steam launch .Fanny free of cost, but accompanied and worked the boat. Another pleasing feature is the practical interest taken in the propagation of fish by settlers in the district, several of whom have put down boxes, and, having been supplied with ova by the hon. sec., have been very successful in hatching. In resigning office your committee trust that the trouble they have been at, and the efforts they have made, to introduce and stock ilia .various streams and lakes with valuable fish will meet with the approbation of the members of the society.

ARREARS OF RENT BILL.

The object of this measure is, no doubt, almost revolutionary in its character, for it aims at nothing less than intervening between landlord and -tenant —in other words, debtor and creditor—and positively relieving the former of his obligation. As everyone nothing but the abnormal condition of the country permits such unusual legislation. Only once before has Parliament acted in a similar manner—namely, when in 1830, it voted twenty million sterling as compensation to slaveholders for surrendering the rights (unjust and hateful as they undoubtedly were} — but still rights—which bad grown up under the protection and with the sanction of Parliament; but even so, the slaveowners had to bear a certain loss, something like 26 per cent., and it will be the same now with regard to landlords. The principle the Bill goes on is this: the tenant must have paid his rent from November 1880 to biovernber 1881 : he must then prove before a competent tribunal his inability to pay more ; and the Government at this point steps in with a gift of at most one year’s rent, or half the arrears, provided they do not exceed the above maximum. This measure will only apply to holdings valued under the poor law up to £3O per annum, equivalent to perhaps £3B or £4O rack rental. The sum to be thus raised is estimated at two million pounds, of which it is proposed to take one million five hundred thousand pounds from the funds remaining from the Irish Church surplus, the remaining half million to be a charge on the Consolidated Funds. With the advance of this money gift all former arrears are to cancelled, and landlord arid tenant will start on a new career.

The duty of carrying out this important Act is to be thrown upon the present Land Commission, for Mr Gladstone estimates that, enormous as is the work it is at present engaged in, the rate that the cases before it are being disposed of—namely, 900 per week—will be sufficient to enable it to cany out the provisions of this new Act. I am glad to see that the Irish members dealt with the Bill in a friendly Spirit,- and only one or two seemed to think that the limit of £3O rental was too ’low. I sincerely hope this measure of conciliation will become law, and if, after the passing of two such Acts as this and the Land Bill, Ireland still continues refractory, I can only say she will be past praying for, and Isay advisedly that never in the history of any country were such efforts made to do justice as the last twenty years have seen carried into effect by the English Parliament on behalf of he Irish people.—London Correspondent.