LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 21, 19 October 1907, Page 8

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

ANIMALS PROTECTION BILL.. ', CRUELTY-OF,-COtRSING.:,' " •In the Legislative Council yesterday, on the motion to go into Committee, on the Ani\mals Protection.Bill, .the.Hon. W. Be'ehan • (Auckland)' read a letter from the secretary, ,of the "North New Zealand Coursing Club protesting against the strictures on the sport of coursing uttered by the-.Hon. S..T. .George recently in tho'Council. ''' " ".'•'' ''.. / The Hon. W. Bechan then.,went on to describe coursing as practised at Plumpwn [Park. Everything was now :in favour of jthe hare. They were'.'hard fed and'trained. ■They know tho escapes, and in nine cases 'cut of ten'they wore not killed. It was a trial of speed in. which'the'hare ,-won. There' was only a 600-yards run/ The 'hares were never brought out again on "the £ame day/There waslittle'temptatidn to. " A club to let the hares'.be killed, as each (one cost 30s. "Ho was willing to have-the sport regulated- by law', but there.' was no .need to prohibit it, as proposed' hy' Mr/ -'George. Ho suggested/that the. dogs "should . /lie muzzled.'-' ■■ ' - '".'.'.'"'■' .'' ' ',/H The Hon. S. T: George (Auckland)'' said letter'bore'out his contentions; He had *not said that the hares were brought put; again on the : same day." Cou'rsing ,, qf' hares in enclosed, spaces was 'one of;tho most •"■' cruel sports{'practised. '"•'■ ''''.'.' • .. ~'.'' ;' I The Hon. 3. Rigg said he thought no one, Nvould object to coursing in country, jimt coursing iii enclosed spaces was a-form of ftbrture to-tho ; hare. It could not'uhdergo' greater torture-if it was killed.''All,the ■ 'sport of tho-contest was with iWlicn hares were scarce, 1 they itwo or three, times'-in one'afternoon. The • sport, if ifr'c'ould' bo'called so, .' should "be prohibited; '■ The muzzling of the dogs would • jiot remove the cruelty./ J An,Opponent of the. Bill. ; ,; ■ \ .'■' The Hon. J. E. Jenkinsoh askqd the A£-(torney-General (Hon.' Dr. Findlay) to place :tho committal •' of ; tile'' Bill at' the "bottom of •tho Order Taper.' '/''■"]"...' '■". ~,... , i The Attorney-General declined to do this. 1 The Hop.'S. E. Jciikirisoh then said he t<lisapproved altogether of tho system of is-, suing licensed to shoot 'gamei Tho general, .public ought not"to be asked to pay fees •before they'/cbuld 'shoot .'a', pheasant -or a partridge.'' This was' tho 'rovival of'the old game laws of "England, which ,had caused intense and' Hitter class" feeling.'. He also held, 'that persons : under sixteen years of age ■''' should not be disqualified from taking out a license. Many lads did all their shooting beforo they, were sixteen. ".' He did' not ap-. ~• prove of making'a sportsman iii pursuit of game liable to a penalty for trespass. It . .was' not right to hand over the' penalties .under the Bill to the Acclimatisation Societies. He did not'think the Bill would'be passed in another place for'several years, otherwise ho would occupy much more of the time'of.the Council at the > present stage, i The Hon.'J. Anstey, oh beginning to speak ton a lifiej.in ono of itho ■ schedules to the Bill was ruled out of order.' "[ ' The Speakor ; said that there was a ten-, 'dency to discuss tho Bill at tho present stage as thoiigh it-were already in Commit: tee, and this-could'not be allowed. \ Tlie Hon. W. W. M'Cardlo also spoke. i ■■•■.•'' ,'■■'- The„Bill Gbmrhittetl. V Tho Council, at-3.20 p.m., went'intoCom-. Inittee on the Bill. .■'.','•' - ;/ ■'.'•'■ Some verbal amendments' were made on tire motion, of the Hon. J. E. Jenkihson. The Hon. J. Rigg-spoke against the'prohibition of taking or killing' gamo between :7 p.m. and; 6 a.m. ■ _ - ' : ' i Tho said the clause was the result of the request of a: deputation of sportsmen from all parts of the Dominion. ;Thc hours named were intonded as an approximation to the hours of sunset and sunriso. . ' The amendment, after considerable discussion, was defcatedby 23 votes''to''s.'.','■ j A good.deal of discussion : then took place en an amendment to subject deer-shooting to the same limitation in regard to hours. ■' The Hons. Jenkinson, M'Cardle, Anstey, Rigg, gnd Macdonald were, prominent speakers..

VArtistic v; At a quarter to five, when tho committe< was still at clauso 3of the Bill,':thb Attorney General said that the debate had revealed tin existence of a'number of unholy alliances Ho was surprised to. find the Hon. Mr. Ken nedy Af acdonald joining in:what he must cal a most artistic olucidation of tlio measure, and uniting himself with a. section-of the Council from which he was usually separated by antipodal differences. There was, howover, a split within that section, the Hon: Mr. Rigg acting'against his comrades, lr theso circumstances, ho (the Minister] thought it was due to himself to be allowec to take time to reconsider the position. Bu moved to report progress. Stonewall Denied. The Hon. J. Itigg said ho did not think th( discussion had been a waste of time. There was no intention to kill the Bill. The Hon. J. .E. Jenkinson said there wai no alliance .between bfmself and the Hon. Mr Macdonald. He had not been stonewalling itho Bill, as had been suggested by the At tornoy-Goneral, and he did not moan to d< so unless, tho Council was forced to sit in tin evening. 'Progress was reported, and the Council, ai 4.55 p.m., adjourned until 4, p.m. on Tues day next; the hour being so fixed to cnabh Councillors to attend . the wedding of' th( daughter of tho Hon. T. E; Macdonald.,,