38 
OTSTEE CCLTUEE COltMlSSION—MIKTITES OF EVIDENCE. 
Mr. W. J. 1287. Does tlie lessee lay down much spat ? He generally employs the blacks ; they go round the lake 
Langham. pick the young oysters oft’ the rocks and throw them into deep water, and those which grow ou the 
which are in very shallow water arc thrown into deep water also, 
wl^ov.,1870, 2288. And there are very tine oysters there ? Yes, very fine. 
1289. What is the next river ? The Clyde. 
1290. Who is the lessee of the Clyde? Mr. Gibbins. 
1291. What rent does he pay ? £135 a year. 
1292. What is the estimated area of the Clyde lease? I should think G,000 or 7,000 acres or upwards of 
that. 
1293. Hon. J. B. WihonJ] Does that include Bateman’s Bay? No. 
1294. Chairman.'] AVhat are the banks and beds of the Clyde ? Chiefly mud and mangrove swamps. 
1295. There is not much rock there ? Yes, there is rock too, a sort ot slate rock. 
1296. Are there many young oysters on the rocks ? Yes, a great quantity. 
1297. And on the mangroves also ? Yes. , i o -ir i.u i, 
129S. What has the lessee done towards laying down and forming oyster beds Very little; they have 
almost stripped the whole of the place. Some time ago they laid do^\^l a great quantity, but they have been 
taking them so quickly that the beds are nearly bare now, 
1299. How long have they been laid down ? About twelve months. 
1300. And were they in a state of perfection when they were taken up ? No. 
1301. They were in an immature slate ? Yes, amall-sized chiefly. 
1302. Not fit for the market ? No. 
1303. But still they were sent to market? Yes. 
1304. And now you say the oyster beds have been stripped bare ? Yes, most of them. o xr i, 
1305. Does not the lessee employ any men to take the young oysters off the rocks to lay down . No, he 
has only one man there. . , i ■ *1 i. at, 
1300. "VVhat could one man do, supposing his whole time were employed in taking the oysters ott the 
rocks and mangroves ? Ho could not do a great deal; the blacks are generally employed. ^ 
1307. But you say there is only one man employed at present. I want to know what he is doing now and 
what can bo done—that is to say, what proportion of the young oysters is taken for planting, and what 
proportion remains ? Of late they have been taking the spat off the mangroves and sending it to Sydney 
and destroying the rest. AVhen the blacks come, unless they are watched, they generally take the young 
oysters ashore oft' the mangroves and cull them and leave the rest to die.* They will get a boat-load at a 
time and take them ashore to cull and leave the rest there. i i.T. 
1308. Do you mean that they are acting under the authority of the lessee, that they take the oysters from 
the mangroves, largo and small, and when they have got them ashore they select the large ones to send to 
Sydney, and leave the smaller ones to perish ? Yes, they genenilly employ the blacks to get them by the 
bag. 
1309. Is that done to a largo extent ? Yes, there is a great deal of it lately. 
1310. With respect to the larger oysters, what do they do with them?' They send them to market. 
1311. But arc they marketable ? Well there are people who buy them. o tvt ji, 
1312. Tliat is not an answer to my question. Are they marketable, in your ojiinion ? No, they are not. 
1313. They are not such as should be sold for human food? No. ^ o v 
1314. But if laid down on suitable soil they would grow and become fat and good oysters . Yes. 
1315. Hon. J. B, Wilson.] Were there not natural oyster beds in Bateman’s Bay ? Ihero never were any 
in the bay; the bar separates it from the river. 
1316. Chairman.] What is the next river, Mr. Langham ? The Tuross. 
1317. AVho is the lessee ? Mr. Martin. -n n i • 
1318. Is that the gentleman who was examined by us the other day? No, that was Mr. Bell, his partner. 
1319. What is the area of the Tuross ? From 2,000 to 3,000 acres, or more. 
1320. And what is the-rent of it? £135 a year. 
1321. AVhat are the banks and beds of the river ? Rock and mud chiefly. 
1322. Arc tlicro many young oysters sticking to the rocks ? A great many in places. 
1323. Are there any mangrove swamps ? Y'es, to a very small extent. 
1324. Have the lessees done anything in laying down and forming oyster beds ? No, they have been 
chiefly working the natural beds, that is all, 
1325. Arc there very many young oysters going to waste on the rocks? AYell, there are a good few that 
could he made use of. 
1320. Those that the lessees remove from the rocks are a mere nothing to those that arc left ? No; I do 
not know that they do remove any. 
1327. But they would not allow any one else to remove them ? No. 
1328. What is the next river ? Brow Lake. 
1329. Who is the lessee? Mr. Martin has that also. 
1330. AV'hat rent does ho pay for it ? £35 a year. 
1331. And what do its beds and banks consist of ? Chiefly mud. 
1332. Are there any mangrove swamps ? There is very little mangi'ove. 
1333. To what does the spat chiefly attach itself? Most of them are mud oysters there. 
1334. There is not much cultch there or dead oyster shells ? No; there are a few stones here and there, 
but the place has not been worked for some time, and the freshes seem to have killed the oysters. 
1335. Has the lessee done anything to improve his lease by laying down and forming oyster beds ? No; it 
was formerly leased to a man named Brown, and ho sold it within the last twelve months to Martin. 
1336. Has it improved since it was leased by the Government? It seems to be in about the same state ; 
very, little ha.s been done to it. 
1337. All they seem to care about is to get as many oysters as they can out of it ? That is all. 
1338. What is the next river ? That is the whole of them. 
1339. Have you considered whether it is to the interest of the public to lease such large areas to one person 
or one company ? I think not. 
1340. Do you not think there are a number of persons who might make a good living out of these oyster- 
bearing rivers, if they were leased in small areas ? Yes, smaller than they are at present. 
1341. 
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