ABOUT OPOSSUMS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1537, 5 September 1912, Page 4

ABOUT OPOSSUMS.

A PREMATURE PROCLAMATION. At the monthly meeting of tho Wellington Acclimatisation Society last night tho fato of the opossum was discussed at length. Tho recent Conference of Acclimatisation Societies made certain recommendations to tho Government dealing with the subject. The chairman (Mr. 1,. 0. H. Tripp) reported that he had received a notice from the Minister for Internal Affairs to the eit'ect that the restriction had been taken off opossums altogether. Ho had also received a letter from a farmer pointing out that it was-a mistake to take the restrictions off altogether, because tho opossums are easy to keep in cheek, ana if the Government took oft the protection for the winter months it would bo quite sufficient, and the opossums would prove to bo a valuable asset to tho country. Tho winter skins were the valuoblo ones. The chairman said ho was making further inquiries with a view of approaching the Government on tho subject. 110 was informed that in the south the black opossum was very numerous, and that the good winter skins were worth 10s. apiece. If that was so it could easily lie seen that tho trade in skins, if properly protected, should mean a great deal to the Dominion, and bo the means of employing many men during tho winter months when labour was not otherwise in demand. In fruit districts, if tho settlors desired, the protection could easily be taken off. If it was a fact that: many of the opossum skins were worth as much as a store lamb, it would be scon that tho question of the protection of opossums should bo considered from every point of view. The protection wns' only asked for from n rommerrinl point of view. There was no sport in shooting an opossum, and shooting only spoiled the skins, and it was from a commercial point of view tho matter must be gone into.