0X9TEE CULTUEK COMMISSION— MINUTES OF EVIBENCE. 
oi> 
Mr. W. J. 1182. What is the area, do you think, of Port Stephens ? It is a very large place—thm^ of 
Langham. of Hq extent; does it contain 20,000, 00,000, or o0,000 iicics . i should 
think there ivere from 00,000 to 40,000 acres, or more. ^ , 1 i nm.n ihnrr 
21 Nov., 1876. 2^yh4;. Of what do the beds of the river and its banks chiefly consist; of course in such a large area they 
must vary considerably ? In some places there is rock, and mud and slicll banks in ot crs. 
11S5. Are there mangroves as well Yes. The rocks arc a sort of ironstone. 
IISO. Are they covered with young oysters, the same as the rocks in Port Jackson . iNo, but mere are a 
great many oysters there. 
1187. And the mangroves—are they also covered ? Yes. 
1188. Who is the lessee of Port Stephens ? Mr. Peter James. 
1189. And wdiat rent does he pay for this large area ? £150 a year. 
1190. For this vast area ? Yes. , , 1 i • 1 i .. t .. 
1191. Has he done anything in laying down and forming new oyster bods ? He has laid down, 1 suppose, 
one or two thousand bags. 
1192. What oy.sters were they ? They were chiefly taken from the mangroves. it i 1 
1193. Can von tell us what proportion the oysters ho has laid down bear to the oysters on the rocks and 
manoToves ? Thev bear no comparison to those that are left. I could not tell you what is the proportion. 
1194 ! But out of this vast area 1,000 or 2,000 bags would be a mere nothing? Yes, you could not tell 
where they were taken fi'om. , . , 1 t 
1195. And are there good layings, as they are termed in England, in the Port Stephens Eiver, where young 
oysters removed from the rocks would grow and fatten? Y'es. ^ o v n . . 1 
119G. There must be a large extent of good layings in such an extensive area ics, there are several 
iilaces where they could be laid doivn. , 1 . . ii c 1 0 v „ 
1197. And all these oysters that are now going to waste might bo converted into excellent loot!. ics. 
1198. What is the next river ? Lime-burner’s Creek. 
1199. And what is the area of that ? About 500 or 600 acres. 
1200. Who is the lessee? Captain GrifEn. 
1201. What rent does he pay? £2 10s. per annum. , i o tt i. i 4 - 
1202. Has ho done anything in connection with laying down or forming oyster beds f lie has aoiio a great 
deal for a small place like that. n • n i 
1203. What is the nature of the beds and banks of Liinc-burners Creek? Chiefly mud. 
1204. Are there any mangrove swamps ? There is very little mangrove. 
1205. Is there any rock ? There is a little rock and a little mangrove, but not much. 
1206. Does he utilize the spat ? Y^'es, all he can get of it. Some time back he wished to get some ol the 
spawn from the rocks on Poi*t Stephens, but ho told me that the lessees refused to let him have any. 
1207. They preferred to see it going to waste rather than allow him to utilize it ? Yes, they would not 
allow him to have anything at all to do with it. 1 o -v 
1208. JLon. J, B. WiUon.'] Does not Lime-burner’s Creek flow into Port Stephens ? ^ Yes. 
1209. Ohairnian.l Then Captain Griflin is the only lessee ivlio has strictly complied with the terms ot the 
Act ? Yes, he is the only one that I know of. 
1210. Mr, Farnell.'] Is his lease a natural oyster bed ? Yes, a portion of it. „ . 
1211. I£on. J.B, Wilson,] Has Captain Griffin been successful in his laying down? He made a clair on 
the mangrove swamp, and the back water used to come in and smother the oysters with mud; he had to 
1212. Y^ousay^hey w'ere smothered by mud, but had ho formed a proper bed of cultch for the oysters? 
No, he had left the natural bed for them. 
1213. What is the next river? The Newcastle Eiver. 
1214. What arc the beds and banks of the Newcastle Eiver ? Shell and mud. 
1215. And rock ? No, there is no rock there. 
1216. Are there any mangrove swamps ? There arc some, but very few. 
1217. AVhat is the area of the lease ? 10,000 or 12,000 acres I should think. 
1218. Who is the lessee ? Mr. Gibbins. 
1219. What rent does be pay? £775 a year. 1 r * 
1220 . Has he carried out the conditions required by the Act, as regards laying down and iorming oyster 
beds? No, he has never done anything beyond working tlio natural beds since he has had it. 
1221. He has done nothing to improve it? No; ho has shot a few oysters hero and there at diflereiit 
times w'hen he has been shifting them, that is all. 
1222. Have you any idea what condition these oyster beds were in before he leased them were ^“^7 over- 
dredged, or in good condition ? The river was closed for two years, but it was worked just as much during 
that time as it was before. 
1223. Has it been improved since Mr. Gibbins leased it ? No, I think it is becoming ivorsc, and that it 
ought to have a spell. 
1224. Tlieu the object of the Act in his case has not been carried out ? No. 
1225. Are there many young oysters in the mangroves and banks: I think you said there were no rocks ? 
They mostly stick to the ballast; the banks have been cut up for building to a great extent. 
1226. J£on J,B. JFilson,'] How far from the mouth of the Hunter arc the principal natural beds ? About 
2 J to 3 miles. 
1227. Are none of them higher up? They extend about two miles further up the mam river to the 
upper end of Mosquito Island and Limebunier’s Bay. 
1228. CImirman.'] What is the next river ? Lake Macquarie was leased, but it was thrown up. 
1229. It is not leased at present ? No. The next river is Broken Bay. 
1230. What is the area of Broken Baj? It is a large place; I should think some 8,000 to 10,000 acres. 
1231. AVho is the lessee ? Mr. Gibbins. 
1232. Wliat rent does he pay ? £127 a year. 
1233. Are there many oysters sticking to the rocks and mangroves at Broken Bay ? There are a great 
quantity sticking to the rocks there. 
1234. Are the rocks at Broken Bay as thickly plastered with young oysters as the rocks in Port Jackson ? 
Yes, there is ten times as much in some places. 
1235. 
