48 
CONFERENCES WITH FISHERMEN. 
A conference was held at Newton on 1st October. 
There is a good natural harbour at Newton. It can be entered 
in heavy weather, and tug-steamers sometimes use it. The depth at 
the entrance is 8 fathoms, and inside 2 fathoms, and the bottom 
consists of sand and clay. The men say that it could easily be 
made into an excellent harbour by the building of a pier on each 
side of the entrance. The piers would require to stand about 10 
feet above the level of the rock. The one on the north side would 
be about 70 yards long, and the one on the south side 400 yards 
long. The harbour would accommodate, if this were done, some 
500 herring boats, but the space could be greatly increased by 
continuing the wall round the shore. 
At the time of the conference there were only 2 boats at the 
crab fishing, but 8 or 4 more would be added at the beginning of 
the year. Twenty-five years ago there were 14 boats engaged in 
this branch of the fishing industry. 
Although two years ago there was no herring fishing from 
Newton, the good results of the last two years has led to 8 boats 
being employed this season, and the catches were very good. 
About 25 years ago the herring fishing was a very important 
part of the year’s work at Newton, 27 boats fishing from its 
harbour. 
During the summer also 7 boats prosecuted the trout fishing, 
but the results were said not to be so good as last year. This 
is the more extraordinary, seeing that at neighbouring places on 
the coast, the trout fishing of this season was better than usual, 
and many more salmon were caught than in previous years. No 
license is required at Newton. 
At Newton, as at other northern places, the lines used for 
various purposes are preserved, after being cutched, with tar, to 
which a little paraffin is sometimes added to hasten the process of 
drying. 
The haddock fishing was, until recent years, an important 
branch of the work. The ground visited was about 6 miles off, and 
25 years ago 20 to 80 stones of fish — principally haddocks — were 
obtained with 8 lines of 1,200 hooks each. The fishing is now 
done much closer in-shore, and 8 or 1 stones of codlings, with a 
few haddocks, brassies, and whitings are landed on the average. 
