ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3207, 8 October 1881, Page 2

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

A general meeting of the above Society was held this morning in the old Council Chamber.

Present: Captain Russell, M.H.R. (in the cbair), F. Button, Esq., M.H.R., Colonel White, Messrs Fitzßoy, A. S. Birch, W. Burke, C. C. Murray, A. Danvers, H. Monteith, T. Tanner, L. de Felichet, S. Carnell, R. P. Williams, J. Price, J. H. Coleraan, G. D. Kennedy, J. Leonard, W. Birch, R. Barrowe, A. Russell, and T. Russell.

The Chairman stated that the meeting had been called in pursuance of a resolu* (ion passed at a meeting held on July 9, that a general meeting should be called witbin three months from that date for the purpose of having a duly audited balance-sheet laid before the members..

The hon. secretary, Mr C. A. FitiRoy, read the minutes of the previous meeting.

Before the minutes were confirmed Mr Sutton pointed out that one of the resolutions passed at the last meeting altering the scale of license fees was ultra vires.

The minutes were then confirmed. Mr Coleman wanted to know the position he held at the meeting, whether he was a member of the Society and had a vote at this present meeting. He asked the question on account of a resolution passed at the last meeting.

Mr Sutton said the laet meeting was entirely irregular; it had been called the instant hie back had been turned for the purpose of throwing dirt at him. Aβ secretary be should have been asked to call that meeting, instead of which it was called by letter from Mr Tanner.

Mr Tanner stated that he had been appointed in May, 1880 to act ac secretary in the absence of Mr Sutton. A meeting had been ordered to be called in March, 1881, but not being so held a meeting was called in June by order of the President, and at that meeting a resolution was passed calling a general meeting on July 9. Everything was perfectly regular, and nothing was done out of order. He hoped that that would dispose of Mr Sutton's imaginary grievance. After some further discussion the subject dropped. The following report of the affaire of the Hawke's Bay Acclimatisation Society, 1881, was read:—

Your hon. secretary has the honor to report that the total number of trout hatched and distributed since the year 1868 is 7,140, and the total number of salmon 43,745. The rivers and waters into which these fish were turned are enumerated in tables attached. The hatching of ova this season was attended with success creditable to the Curator, but a sudden inundation of rats played terrible havoc amongst the young fry, so much so that out of some 5000 ova successfully hatched there remain but about 1000 young fry available for distribution. Of these Mr Tanner has taken 500, Mr Fulton 3PO, and the balance is bespoken by Captain Preece for the residents at Wairoa. I think it hardly worth, while sending bo small a number such a distance, especially as the first instalment, and should therefore recommend that they be retained to replenish the stock in the Society's ponds, ifc being now four years since any young fish, were retained for that purpose. The total number of adult fish now in the Society's ponds is about 250; some few of these are too large to eet at liberty, and will have to be destroyed. I propose exhibiting two of them at the Agricultural show next week as extra exhibits in order to give the public an op« portunity of seeing them before they are put out of the way. Through the kind assistance of Mr Fulton the Society hope to obtain some perch from Otago. The deer, numbering 4, are doing very well at Matapiro under the care of Mr Shrimpton, who reports to me that he expects an increase from two of the does this season. The working plant of the Society is in good order and condition, it being found necessary to raise the level of the bottom of the fish pond, thereby giving greater facilities for running off the water and cleaning the pond. - When necessary the pond, was pumped dry. During this process all the fish were caught, so that the exact number of adult fish, at stated above, is known to be accurate. It

is scarcely necessary to. add that, if fish culture, is t<? be carried on siiccessf ully, every ijreb'aiitibn,, to protect ihb, yotog fry. from , vermin will have to be taken. I should also like to see more stringent measures taken to keep down shags. Your committee, finding that the rapid increase of hares in the district was threatening to cause a eerious obtained the Governor's assent to their excluded from the Animals Protection Act, 1880. C. A. Fitzßoy. Hon. Secretary.

Tbout—ova from. 1868-~ 20 into, the Waipawa Mate, near Waipoiurrtii 30 to Wallingforot 20 Ma.harakaka, near Mr Sydney Johnston's £o to Paki Paii

$0 i 876—400 Ngaruroro, near Sturm's 200 Maraetotara (imported by Mr Meinertzhagen) 100 Ngaruroto, , near Te Awa and Te Atua

r 700 1877—400 Maraetotara 400 Ngaruroro, at Te Awa and Te Atua 400 were retained in the Society's fish ponds

1200 TrioTTT HASHED IK SOCIETY'S I*olfD3 IITD BOLD AS J?OLLb"W3 i— 1879— T. Tanner 800 G.Donelly ... 200 Col. Herrick ... 300 Renata Kawepo ~. ... 200 Mr Scale 500 O. B. Winter 200 J. D. Ormond ... .;* ... 250 Hdnare Tomoana ... ;:; 100 MrTanner' , ( . tlt .;, 200 Peter Robinson ... ... 100 Sydney Johnston ( 500 V A. McLean ... 500 Mr Beamish 200 Mr Birch 200 4050 1880—Mr Harding 250 Mr Tanner 100 Allen Williams... 50 Mr Scale ... 300 Captain Preece... ... ... 100 Mr Tanner 100

11Q0 Caiitobniait Salmon , Fby.— .Hatched and distributed from MnSturra's garden at Clive 1876 — 17,843 Upper waters of Ngaruroro 600 Mangaone .; 1,800 Mohaka-Mangatahi river 19,545 24,300 43,845 1877— 17>000 At the branch ofTuMTuH and Waipawa river 6000 Manawatu river at Kopua, 300 Mangaone 2000 Mohaka-MangataTu river 24,300 Hatched and distributed from the society's ponds at Hastings, from ova imported from California. Mr Sutton thought it was a mistake to take the protection off hares. By making it an open season he was sure the other game was endangered. People out ■hooting hares would sboot birds. Colonel White coincided, and did not think hares were so numerous as to make it advisable to take the protection from

tfa&ra. Mr Tanner and others said the protection was taken off in consequence of complaints from settlers around Hastings. The report was adopted. The secretary read the balance-sheet, which showed a credit balance of £156 6s 10d; liabilities, £38 14s; assets over liabilities, £68 14s 10d. The secretary regretted that the balance-sheet was so imperfect, and further that he had been unable to obtain any information from Mr button. Mr Sutton: Did you ask for any ? Mr Fitzßoy: When I met you in the street your language was such that I declined to hold any further conversation with you. Mr Sutton said he had never been masked for any information, and; he objected altogether to a statement hinting 9ft a defalcation; he objected to that balance-sbeet. He had all the vouchers and papers at his house, and if he had been properly consulted there would have been no trouble.

An uninteresting discussion ensued, which was brought to a close by Mr Tanner saying that Mr Sutton was under a misapprehension in thinking that there bad been the slightest intention on the part of any member cf the Society to cast any slur upon him. [Left Sitting.]