ROD AND GUN.

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

ROD AND GUN.

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

ANNUAL MEETING. Tho twenty-eighth annual meeting of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society was held at the Chamber of Commerce last evening, the president (Mr. L. 0. H. Tripp) in the chair. There was an at-', tendance of between 30 and 40 members. Tho report and balance-sheet (previously published in The. Dominion) were adopted. Speaking to the motion for the adoption of tho report: tho chairman referred to the loss sustained by the society in tho death of the late Mr. D. D. M'Gregor, of Masterton, a valued member of tuo so-, cicty. The finances of tho society, 3)0 went on to say, were satisfactory..

Supply of Trout, With regard to the supply of fish in tlio Hutt liiver, tho chairman said that that stream and its tributaries should bo stocked. There was some difference bf' opinion in regard to the wisdom of liberating fry in main streams of the sizo of tho Hutt River. No doubt yearlings would bo better if the expense of rearing the latter were not a serious factor to bo considered, The society's new hatcheries had now been a nipleted, and ranked amongst the best in New Zealand. Ho appreciated tho value of tho services rendered in this connection by Mr. Ayson, who had been lent by tho Government to advise the society with regard to the plans and equipment of tlio new; hatcheries. The cost of these had been secured by tho personal guarantee of certain members of the society to tho bank for' , tho sum of dCSOO. The supply of fish was becoming a difficult question, for the enemies of the trout were increasing. Hf had been informed tlmt 56 cols had been, taken in a basket from tho Hutt Kivor. Shags were on Hie increase, while the depredations of seagulls wero also increasing. The evidence which he had personally collected had convinced him that His society should do what it could to debtroy tho gulls engaged in these predatory excursions along the streams. Another factor vlncli had operated against the supply of fish fii the rivers had been tho unseasonable floods.

Game Prospects. The prospocis for game, ho continued, were not very good. Tho work of tho game farm had been very successful, but it had been demonstrated that the only game which could bo said to be holding its own was tho Mallard duck, which, was doing extremely well on Lake Wairarapa. —stoats and weasels had been too much for tho others. With regard to the quail, it was clear that fresh blood would have to l)o imported. Deist stalkers in the Eketahuna County had reported that several good heads had been secured. It was apparent-Hint thoro; were too many deer in that district. Somto of .the poorer stock in tho herds minted shooting ouit. In conclusion, the chairman thanked tho society's staff for its good year's work. Mr. S. Scott seconded the motion.

Mr. A. J. Rutherford endorsed tho chairman's remarks, and said that tho Waipoua stream was simply alive with eels. These werojhuge reptiles liko snakes. Shags, also, were on thto increase in tho gorges of the Riniutakas, near t.lio head waters of tho streams. / Mr. L. 11. B. Wilson recalled that some years ago an attempt had been niade to •establish an export trade in eel skins, but nothing, apparently, had come of tha movement. ''

. One member complained that tho gunmen had been rather left out in tho oold as compared wtih tll'J anglers. He raised the question of tho society's game; farm supplying game t'o other societies in tho country. Tho chairman agreed that the "guns" had not lind tho best of the bargain. TJio Wellington Society received a grant of ,£IOO per annum from tho Government in -respect to tho up-keep of the gamte farm, on condition that the othet societies in Now Zealand wero supplied with birds for liberation in.their own, pit-serves: <r Officers Elected. Officers for the ensuing year wore elected as follow President, his Excellency the Governor (the Earl of Liverpool); vicopresidents, Messrs. W. 11. Beetham, B. C. IJruce, A. J. Rutherford, and L. G. lie id; chairman, Mr. L. 0. H. Tripp; council, Messrs. C. G. Allen, E. Laishloy, F. Whitley, L. 11. B. Wilson, L. 0. 11. Tripp, A. J. Sladdeiv, C. B. Morisou, 11. H, Ostler, and A. P. Lowe; treasurer, Mr. 11. 11. Ostler j secretary, Mr. A. T. Low©; curator, fish ponds, Mr, J. G. Miller; curator at the game farm, Mr. H. ltoss; ranger, Mt. C, 11. Bould; assistant-secre-tary, Mr. C. I. Dasent.