1.—12.

182

J. A. JOHNSTON.

To Mr. Hornsby: It would be very advantageous if the Government were to lend money to fishermen, as they do to settlers. It would enable them to set up a plant to deal with a whale, so that most of it would no go to waste as it does at present. A good deal of oil can be extracted from the bone. I know that whale-meat is used largely for human consumption in the United States, and I believe there is little difference between whale-steak and beef-steak. In the ten months of the year that I am not whaling I would be engaged in the ordinary fishing. We expect whales from the Ist May to the end of' October. During that time there is always a chance of one coming along. It is a tremendous waste to turn the whales away and waste the good meat when it could be turned into manure that could compare with any that comes from the freezing-works. There are also the bone and the blood, which have to go to waste at present. It would, however, take big capital to set up a proper works, and we would need help from the Government to establish works to carry on operations for the season. There are four members in my party. To the Acting-Chairman: I took nine whales last season. Ours is the only party that has been whaling here in the last two years. We have all the plant to take the blubber from the whales and deal with it, but nothing else. If the industry was protected a co-operative company might be formed. C. Nilsen, Fisherman, examined. I hope there will be no close corporation. It seems to me if the stations are to be a hundred miles apart there will be a monopoly of the coast. If licenses are granted for whaling, let anybody take a license, provided he puts up the plant. I would allow him to whale outside a radius of fifty miles from a station. The sea Is .open, and the fish are anybody's until they are caught, I think that two establishments or more could work side by side. If a man wants to put up a plant let him do it, as long as he is prepared to copiply with the conditions. To the Acting-Chairman: As to the proposal that stations should be a hundred miles apart, I say that if licenses are to be granted, as long as a man complies with the conditions let him put up a station wherever he likes. If a hundred whalers want to come to Kaikoura let them each have a license. Ido not think the industry would be injuriously affected by a number of whalers operating. I have seen twenty whales go past in one school, and it is impossible for two boats to catch the lot of them. To Mr. Graigie: If I had a plant at Kaikoura I would not object to a man from Terawhiti coming down here. If there were a number of companies operating, the ones that were not paying would drop out. To Mr. Sidey: If the Government issues a license on condition that a plant is sufficient to deal with the whole of a whale —oil and everything else—that in itself will be a sufficient bar to a large number engaging in the industry. Any further restrictions would be unnecessary. Ido not think it is necessary to fix the localities. The whales pass at different parts of the coast — Amuri, Akaroa, and other places. There were whaling-stations all along the coast in the early days. To Mr. Hornsby: A station would mean £5,000 of plant, and that would deter any man who was not sure he could make a living out of it. J. A. Johnston further examined. If I expend £5,000 or £6,000 in a plant and a company comes in with £10,000 and goes in much bigger than I. can go it ruins me. I might spiend £5,000, and a company £10,000, and another company £20,000, and it would be ruination for every one. It would be waste of material and time, and probabky the company that spent £20,000 would not be, able to compete. G. Renner examined. With regard to the fishing industry, I would like to say to the Committee that the trouble is to obtain protection for the boats. Reasonable slip appliances ought to be provided, so that the boats could be got out of the water when heavy weather drives in. There are about £3,000 or £4,000 worth of boats in this place, but they cannot obtain insurance, as the anchorage is unsafe. R. Cowper, Fisherman, examined. I have been here about five years. There were then six boats fishing in a haphazard way. The protection to the boats was the same as now, and we were at the mercy of any storm that came along. Some fishermen could moor their boats properly, but others could not, and if a boat got away in a storm it would smash into two or three others and damage them. The insurance rate, 1 believe, is £20 per cent. We started a retail shop in Christchurch, but a storm came and smashed a number of boats. The shop had to be closed, and a number of the fishermen were ruined. For myself, I had to throw up fishing and go to other work to save up money for another boat. It took me eighteen months to get enough money to get a boat. When the freezer was established by Messrs. Newman Bros, we could produce, so much over requirements that we had to regulate the supply of fish going into Christchurch, so that the market there could get a regular everyday supply, instead of four hundred or five hundred fish on one day in the week. We then started running a motor to Parnassus. That is better than the steamer, which is very uncertain. However, all our plans might collapse at any time. If a storm comes you cannot say your boat will be there to-morrow morning. We are absolutely at the mercy of the open sea. We reckon that if we could have, slips, and were allowed to use our own discretion as to taking our boats on to it, it would serve our purpose. We are prepared to pay an annual rental for the use of the slips. Mr. Ayson told us that the Government had a scheme