BRER POSSUM.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1762, 29 May 1913, Page 6

BRER POSSUM.

CLOSE SEASON ADVOCATED. Somo fortunes, it is stated, • are being made by opossum hunters in New Zea- ~~ land at tho present time, owing to the ■unrestricted right now enjoyed by the . trappers to catch opossums all the year round. It was stafed at the annual meet- """ ing of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society last evening that as much as .£1 per 6kin had been paid for black 'possum skins, and that some trappers ini Otago had knocked out as much as ,£2OO a month. What the society desires is a close season in the summer time, and that ' those desiring to trap the little animals in the, winter time should obtain licenses from the Acclimatisation Society. It was further pointed out that the 'possums did little or no damage to orchards, but in any' case the society would admit the right of any farmer to destroy these ani- • mals if lie found that they required auditing. It was moved by Mt. H. H. Ostler:— ..That this meeting strongly urges ' tfye Government to at once discontinue the linwise policy of allowing the indiscriminate slaughtor of opossums in districts such as Paraparaumu, where they aro doing no damage, and where tho residents liave themselves peti-

■turned for their protection, and that ■ "in the opinion of this meeting these ■valuable animals should be protected attffojlpwed to bo shot or. trapped only during a regular season of not more than three months in the winter time,. and only on payment of a separate license fee. ..If, this policy is adopted it will at once create an industry of great and growing valuo to tho Dominion. Mr. L. H. B. Wilson, in seconding the motion, pointed out that the indiscrimin-

ate • out of season was-not'ii-good-thingi-for-the of the exported skins in other markets. If only tile winter skins were secured, the reputation of the exported article, as to its value, would be enhanced. ■ . The motion /was adopted; ; , The chairman (Mr. L. 0. H. Tripp) reviewed tho .'past history/, of ' the ,efforts ■which had'.been '.in connection with this matteivanu'read out o. number-of letters which h6 l had received from various people interested ill the establishment of a close season. Thio motion was unanimously adopted.