THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1901.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 178, 20 July 1901, Page 2

THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1901.

I In our last issue we deprecated ’ the leasing of riverbeds by the • Grown to owners of adjacent lands, on the ground that it virtu- • ally shut out the great majority of people, dwellers in settled ’ centres more particularly, from any share in the sport and. benefit accruing from the presence of wild fowl, game and fish. The bulk of this game is‘native to . the country, but even in the Case of that imported, the owner of land bordering a river flat f should not be able to shut up this [ river and prevent the access of ' perhaps hundreds of people who [ have equal rights with the land- • holder, as one of the people. We do not find fault with private 1 owners closing their own land to shooting and fishing parties; they could not do otherwise with profit, but every possible advantage should be given to sportsmen wishing to use the rivers and . flats. There is plenty of land in | the colony without robbing the i people of their birthright, and preventing them from seeking enjoyment because of their ; landless state. But we would go a stop further, and object to any restrictions whatsoever upon sport in the ordinarily accepted sense of the term. At present the waters are in the hands-of the Acclimatisation Societies* practically self-constituted bodies in various centres, who charge an annual license fee for the right to fish, or shoot imported game. In this case again we hark back t) our original contention the waters belong to the people as a whole and they ought to have the right to fish them. But someone will say the Acclimatisation Society stocks the rivers. Certainly it did, but the greater part of the assistance in so doing came from the Government* which, is the people. Also* the initial, cost of stocking and the cost of maintem ance is limited, and there is no reason why the license fee should be paid for ever, for once the rivers are thoroughly stocked there will be no reason for continuing the stringent rules hitherto necessary, Some time ago the Government established a salmon-hatchery at Hakata'ramea at considerable expense to the country, bat it is certain that under the present system all those who paid for the rearing of the fish will not have equal rights in their capture, bdt a further tax must be paid to a body which incurred, no liability in the rearing., Under the circumstances we cannot see \ihy the Government, Which runs so many things, should not take the. question qf grantinglicensesihto its own bands sad Issue 1 -at the Post at anomii|alcost, say halfa‘Crqwa a year.. would cpjj^ „ ' "'L t' i ‘ 1 1 V\ V l , ‘

stjtute alarge and direct rer X for the sum would be withiti lie reach of all sorts and conditions men, .but the indirect revenue received through the extra sale of fishing material would -amply ■repaydhe-cost of the new departure. It may be urged that this 'indiscriminate issue of licenses would encourage illegal fishing* "but this we very greatly doubt, ■ for the tendency of making anything illegal or placing a prohibitive value on it, is to encourage a desire to secure the prohibited article. The rivers are in no danger of being depleted, for it is not everyone who can spare the ■ necessary time, to fish, and the only difference would be that the , larger fish would be taken out in | greater numbers than at .present; —and no fisherman can deny that ; this is a boon.' Many of the streamsare now so heavily stocked that when tire shallower shingle rivers, dry up to a chain of pools, these small stretches of water are alive with fish, an I ’ hundreds of gulls slaughter 1 -them in enormous numbers. We have ourselves seen the Waihao so dry that thousands of fine fish were left stranded, or ! died from overcrowding, puffin mg the air for hundreds of yards around. Everyone deplores the waste’ of such a good food material, but at present no one cun go and take the fish, even wueu in danger of stranding. Further, and more fmportant still, the system of licensing virtually closes the river mouths. At-the Waituki, flounders, mullet, kawhai and scores of other fish : ft xist in great numheis, but no one is allowed to go with a net on account of the presence of trout in the river. In most . centres there is a very impeife. t and irregular supply of fish, while . thej r exist in abundance within easy reach mf the town. Wc would like to see almost every restriction on legitimate sport swept away, and feel sure that , the result would hurt nobody and would benefit all, for each one of ~ us is supposed to have a fair sha o J of the earth and the fnines i. thereof, and we ourselves are td blame if we do not obtain our ■ rights in full measure.