POACHING IN THE SOUTH ISLAND.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3172, 29 August 1881, Page 3

POACHING IN THE SOUTH ISLAND.

Under Sthe heading of ' Atrocities of Poaching,' a correspondent forwards the following letter to tbe North Otago Times : —The lawless pursuit of poaching, together with the mischievous depredations done by some unscrupulous persons, are still perpetrated in defiance of the law in this vicinity. One would have thought that the exposure of it made by ' Observer' and others of your correspondents which you published lately would have had the effect of chec - ing these atrocities. I have heard parties say, who have got a license, that they should not be obstructed by the farmers or landowners, and should ride or walk as they choose in the pursuit of game. I said to some of these worthies that the grievances are of a very serious nature, that farmers and landowners have to contend with. Not to mention the disturbance to stock, there are other evils, such as gates being left open where stock are inclosed so that they get out and wander at large. Some poachers also, when they come to a gate barricaded, wantonly and maliciously break it to get through with their horses, instead of going out by the way they came in. I had reason to see some poachers busy at an early hour of the morning last week ; they had nets and snares set, and were scouring the paddocks with greyhounds which are trained to run by scent. I observed that two hares were soon captured, the one in a net and the other in a snare. One person watched the snares and another was with the dogs. The Sabbath ie usually made use of as a day for poaching, when one may see bands of desperadoes wandering about with dogs and guns in the country, within sound of the church bells, but who are alike regardless of the laws of Crod and man. I am informed that the ranger met with a band of poachers last Sabbath week. It appears that two of the number had licenses. As there ha 3 not been any statement made of it in the newspapers, nor any sound of it otherwise heard, we may take it for granted that the two licenses are considered a sufficient equivalent to exonerate the enormities of all the transgressors. I may remark that I think all persons who imprudently abuse their licenses by hunting on a Sabbath should forfeit them j they are not worthy of licenses, and unto all such none should be granted. If the authorities who are empowered to grant licenses do not pay due regard to this matter, then outrages and conten. tions which the public are made too familiar with will never cease. Hangers have power only to protect the interests of the Acclimatisation Society, they are not empowered to look after the interests of the landowners. I am astonished that the latter class should so tamely submit. No laws other than despotic can authorise a government to force on landowners numbers of various animals from which a source of gain is to be derived at the landowners' expense; the latter should first have been consulted to ascertain if they are willing or not that such creatures should be introduced and put on their properties. A compact should also have been made between the parties concerned otherwise conflicting interests will cause them to be at daggers-drawn. There being no community of interests, it would only be fair that landowers should have at least a right to two-thirds of the game on their properties, seeing that their maintenance is altogether derived from them. The remaining one-third would amply repay in time their importation. By a mutual agreement entered into the interests of both parties would be in unity, and proper game laws could be enforced, and gamekeepers could have no difficulty in discharging their duty, being employed by the two parties. It is to be hoped that proprietors will demand their rights and not submit to intruders, who, as matters stand at present, are entirely subversive to their interests, and over whom they have no control