MASTERTON FISH HATCHERY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8446, 23 May 1907, Page 5

MASTERTON FISH HATCHERY.

(To the' Editor). Sir,—At the annual meeting of the Society, last wisek, a committee was appointed to consider whether the Masterton hatchery should be continued, or whether a hatchery should be established neai'er Wellington. It seems impossible to credit that the Society should propose abandoning the Masterfcon hatchery at the present juncture. For some years yast and up to the present year, the Society has been expending considerable sums in equipping and improving the hatchery, and it is now in a position to achieve a maximum of work at a minimum of expenditure. The following arguments for continuing the Masterton hatchery appear unanswerable: —

1. The Society now possesses a thoroughly up-to-date hatchery house, plant and yearling ponds. 2. No further outlay will, be required for the remainder of the lease (six years) on buildings or plant. 3. Much of the recent outlayjjof the Society will be lost if the hatchery is to be abandoned, as the buildings are unsuitable for other purposes. 4. The water supply cannot be excelled, or possibly equalled, elsewhere for hatching: 5. Masterton is the most central position for a hatchery doing work for Wellington, Hawke's Bay and Taranaki Provinces. 6. Experts are of opinion that the Hutt, Belmont and Mungaroa Rivers are unsuitable for netting purposes; they have been tried for years past and found wanting. 7. If outside supplies of ova fail the Waipoua can always be netted, and probably will yield better results for the rest to be now given it. 8. The establishment of a hatchery elsewhere must involve a large initial outlay of capital, and the venture be of a more or less experimental nature. The fact that the Masterton public are keenly interested in the matter must be my excuse for encroaching on your space.—l am, etc., W. H. L. GALWEY, Hon. Secretary Masterton SubCommittee. Masterton, May 21st, 1907.