THE GAME ACT, 1908.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 758, 5 March 1910, Page 14

THE GAME ACT, 1908.

Sir, —In the above act, wo have a. sample ,of' hasty uiid ill-considered legislation, and no. better method could be devised to. defeat .the object in view, _ as : ariy "''practical* shooting man can testify. •' Mr. Buddo' has stated that it was impracticable* to have au open season for one class of game which was plentiful, while protecting others, his reason being that a man could always give the excuse that 'ho was shooting unprotected game, and that it was inadvisable to give_ the ranger power,to search his bag. This is feeble; - Personally,-' ; I should have no objcctiou, and I think the majority of sportsmen will agree with me, to a bona fide.; ranger examining my bag.;. Secondly, T : am riot awaro "that there is'any law to'-preveift man from ..carrying a gun to shoot hares (which are./a pest in this district), blackbirds, thrushes, etc. If he wants au excuse there are plenty.

I do not knonV that the Government are taking , special measures to enforce the game-laws,'.and jU»ey,;- ; are depriving the -acclimatisation societies of tho revenue'; for ■■ maintaining rangers, which somo.-t6f-.them> can "barely'-afford as it is. act fo^'ilie.!enco'utageinent of poaching- 'I should call '..it. In a district such as the one I reside Jn, jvhere rangers are scarce, the close season is', just the time when .fhe poacher : flourishes. Game is quieter, and'he runs no danger of. coming across a sportsman with a license. It seems rather, a satire to deprive legitimate shooting men of their patientlv-.'waite'd-for. sport, t w,hen even now, quail, .\yhich plentiful in this, "district —too much 6o in someparts4-a'fe being shot wholesale. ■' As it was, we only got three months'- shooting in the year, at a season when "days'are-short, and a man had to. devote all his leisure to.get in a fair amount of sport. Now-, we- are to be cut down to .six months in three years.' It would save a lot of annoyance and expense if' there were no shooting at all. The maintaining 'acclimatisation societiesi'.would be saved, and' individuals would .be;, spared the expense for guns, dogs,- hbrsesiv traps, • and ;■ shooting gear generally; I' wonder:■ is the Minister for Agrioulture aware'* of the •'expense and trouble connected with procuring, keeping,- and-training—dogs;—: How . can the .average-man-be expected to keep valuable dogs under existing'conditions. It was bad enough to, have to keep them idle for- ninfe months 'in. the year, knowing that their period of usefulness was fast running -.out,• .and --the •> consequent 'deof idleness. These ; may-»-'seem' 'trivial details to the uninitiated, but are all-important to the sportsman. What is shooting without a ■ good- dogSLegislatiba'.siichriasiihat 'in question is, only ; -calculated/to place this form of sport: in the hands-of poachers, the wealthy leisured class, and the imported ; tourist.-i' Doubtless, when the Government -.have made' the Dominion' a tourist - caravanserai)' the.v will have ~achieved.,.the-,acmo-r of- good government —the .welfare th"p,.'majority. —.The abovej are (a'/few spoints which I wish' to' bring forward" against the proposed close season for 'all kinds of game. I could, adduce many more, .but will refrain from trespassing; further mpon your .valuable. space.—l. am, etc.,