42 ADMINISTEATION OF THE FISnEllIES ACT. 



duty to oppose the Select Committee for wliicli Mr. Parnell 

 was pressing ; nor did he in any way complain of the 

 j)roposed composition of it. He thought the inquiry would 

 be conducted honestly, and that the mover, in making it, 

 would be doing good to the country. 



Accordingly a Select Committee, consisting of the under- 

 m.entioned members of the Legislative Assembly, was 

 appointed to inquire into and report upon the working of the 

 Pisheries Act, viz.: — Messrs. O' Sullivan, Thompson, Howes, 

 William Stephen, Stevenson, Ritchie, Nobbs, Seaver, Car- 

 ruthers, and the mover, Mr. Earnell. The Committee held 

 twenty-two meetings, examined many witnesses, including 

 the Commissioners and several of the officers of the Pisheries 

 Department, and took very voluminous evidence. On the 

 27th August, 1889, the Committee had completed its P^eport. 

 It found that the Act had not worked satisfactorily, it had 

 operated harshly upon those engaged in the industry, and 

 had not held out sufficient encouragement to oyster-culture, 

 which industry had indeed become almost a dead letter 

 owing particularly to the systems of leasing and supervision 

 being defective. The Report suggested the expediency of 

 allowing an extension of the length of various nets, expressed 

 regret that more discrimination had not been shown in open- 

 ing and closing waters for fishing, urged attention to the 

 way in which fish in the Murray Piver and its tributaries 

 were being destroyed, recommended that encouragement be 

 offered to persons to institute trawling, pointed out the 

 deplorable condition of the oyster-fisheries, as well as the 

 unsatisfactory state of affairs existing in regard to the 

 sale of fish at the Woolloomooloo Pish Markets, urged 

 the abolition of tiie Pisheries Commission and the re- 

 establishment of the department under duect iltlinisterial 

 control, or the addition of two representatives of the fisher- 

 men to the Board. The Committee concluded its Report 

 by suggesting a consideration of the evidence submitted 

 with it, and of two draft Pills appended thereto, which 

 it was thought would prove of great value in settling the 

 important questions at issue. Up to the present the laboui's 

 of this Select Committee have been barren of result; the 

 matter has several times been brought up in Parliament 

 and discussed, but no definite legislation has been achieved ; 

 either a change of Ministry, or the consideration of measures 

 deemed to be of greater importance, have always come in 



