FISH HATCHERY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 May 1943, Page 4

FISH HATCHERY

MASTERTON SPORTSMEN URGE REOPENING • ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY’S ACTION CONDEMNED. PETITION TO MINISTER PROPOSED. Indignation at the action of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society Council in closing the Masterton Hatchery for the duration of the war was voiced in strong terms at last night’s meeting of the North Wairarapa branch of the society. A motion was passed which condemned the closing of the hatchery and urged that, failing reconsideration of’ the matter by the council, the Minister of Internal Affairs be petitioned to take over the hatchery. The chairman, Mr F B. Pickering, said the meeting should request the Wellington Society to open the hatcheries at Masterton. After all the hours of voluntary work that had been put in by sportsmen in the erection of the ponds and all the money that had been spent, the place was falling into a state that would make anyone weep. The ponds were lying idle when they used to turn out 1,250,000 fry each year. The loss of all those fry would tell on the fishing in the future. In reply to Mr F, C. Brockett, who asked why the ponds were closed, the secretary, Mr H. W. Dale, said the Wellington Society regarded it as a war measure. They said that eggs could not be procured and they . also gave the reason that the curator, Mr J. G. Miller, was retiring, STRONG TERMS USED. Mr Pickering: “It is the old, old story.” Mr Brockett spoke in the strongest terms against the action of the Wellington Society. He apologised for usingg unparliamentary language, but said he felt strongly about the matter. The branch had to keep faith with its members overseas so that when they came back the rivers would be well stocked. To say that the closing of the ponds here was a war measure was sheer nonsense. The council should have pressure put on it to have the ponds reopened. It would be found that all the other branches would support the Wairarapa branch and he suggested that if that failed the branch should go so far as to petition the Minister of Internal Affairs to take over the hatchery here. Mr Dale read out the following motion which was put to the meeting and carried: "That in view of the reserve shown in the last balance sheet, this branch takes strong exception to the retrograde step of curtailing either hatchery or game farm operations. We regard such a step as not keeping faith with the licence holders and as detrimental to sport generally. We fail to see why the credit balance shown in the 1941 return should not be used for the continuing of operations. The reserve was created for an emergency such as this. With many of our sportsmen overseas, whose thoughts are centred on finding that the sport is as good as previously on their return to civilian life, such a step is not playing the game by them,” STATE ACTION URGED.

On the motion of Mr S. D. Geary, seconded by Mr Brockett, it was decided to add to the above motion that failing reconsideration of the matter by the council, the Minister of Internal Affairs be asked to take over the hatchery at Masterton. “At present we are getting no return for our licences,” said Mr Pickering, “not even ranging.” Mr Brockett: “There is a big reserve, but they won’t touch it. They are keeping it for a rainy day but Heaven knows what.they call a rainy day.” Mr Dale said the Wellington council had failed to notify the Masterton branch of many of its decisions and had acted in an arbitrary manner. When the Ruamahanga and Kopuaranga rivers were closed to minnow fishing the Masterton branch was never consulted in the matter.

Mr Brockett: “They don’t want us. We have been a thorn in Wellington’s side for many years.”

Mr Pickering said that the position would exist until some of the older members of the Wellington council were replaced.