BED DEER.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18426, 6 July 1925, Page 13

BED DEER.

MENACE TO THE COUNTRY. INDISCRIMINATE SHOOTING ADVOCATED. •SPECIAL TO "THE TRtSZ.' ) AY L'LLINGTON, July 5. lii. 011 cof those thoughtful short speeches which he occasionally delivers in the House of Representatives, Mr I\. S. Williams, member for the Bay of Plenty, made an arresting reference to the menace of the red deer imported into New Zealand from the Mother Country. The deer, lie said, had become a serious menace not only to the pastoral industry, but to the general well-being. The herds of deer were on the increase in all parts of New Zealand. Hon. members: Hear, hear. "I am just as fond of hunting." he added, "as any other man in. th'e country, but we can pay too clearly for the privilege of limiting. The hunting spirit has been bred in man, and has been handed down from generation, to generation. so that even in these days you still have the spirit- of hunting in the British born. But," lie added, "if the deev are allowed to go on destroying tin 1 undergrowth and the ferns and plants in our forests, the bush-clad hills will become mostly bare country, and these hills will come down in landslides on to the flat country. Apart from destroying the great asset to this country of its bush seciiery, the deer herds will do an enormous amount of damage. Take the situation in regard to Waikaremoana and its water-power. They must have buslt-clad hills. There was now ut Waikaromoaiia an excellent catchment area. The hills were well clothed with forest, but if the deor were allowed to take possession of it, it would be only a matter of time before the busli died down and the water supply became )ess, till, in a hundred years or more, instead of a beautiful lake and trttsliclad hills you will have but a, muddy pool with barren country around it.'^ He strongly urged that deer in New Zealand should be open game for anyone to shoot, a sentiment that was received with "Hear, hears" from both Bides of the House. He warned lioti. members that it would bo a very serious thing for the country if the de'jr herds were allowed to go on increasing as they were at present. The country where they wore was generally so rough and inaccessible, that steps should lie taken now to get rid of them. At Rotorua they were already doiiig a great deal of damage to the forests planted to replace those that had been cut down originally. There was another danger. The deer wore liable to contract anthrax and foot-and-mouth disease, and if there were a quarter or half a, million deer spl-oading such diseases, it would be disastrous for Nctv Zealand. In addition, there was the damage done by the deer when tliey got flown into the cultivations on the lower lands. What would be the use of spending money in roading and subdivision, and hydroelectric power, and payifig officers of the Agricultural Department to teach farmers if we had a menace liWe that at our very doors? He hoped the few remarks that he had, made would have some influeneo upon hon. members and the Government. (Applause.)