THE SMALL BIRDS NUISANCE.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2287, 1 August 1881, Page 3

THE SMALL BIRDS NUISANCE.

A meeting of those interested in the suppression of the small birds nuisance was held at the Corn Exchange on Saturday. Oapt, R. B. Willis was voted to the chair, and there was a good attendance.

The Chairman said last year the matter had been taken up by the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, when delegates from the various districts attended. The resolutions were forwarded to the Government, and they were asked to legislate on the subject. The reply was that there was not time. From the statistics published there was in the county of Selwyn alone 119,000 acres of arable land, and the loss was €125,000, which was put at the low price of 5s per acre. They would agree with him that they had now to sow a larger amount of wheat and other grain per acre than they had had to do. He could not sea why this large sum should go down the gullets of these abominable little posts. Detached efforts had been made, but what was wanted was united action, as it was only by united action that they could put down this pest. Ho thought there was one way in which they could compel the Government to listen to them, viz., by forwarding a petition to the Government, signed by the resident* in each district of Canterbury. They would then see by the enormous number of signatures attached to the petition, how much the pest was reprobated in Canterbury. Last year ho had laid a draft of a petition before the Agricultural and Pastoral Association. This draft had boon laid before a meeting of delegates of sparrow clubs recently held at Leeston, where it had been accepted with but one or two exceptions. He would now read the draft of the petition to the House of Representatives, [The Chairman then read the draft of the petition, comprising a suggestion for an Act to suppress the small birds, and imposing a rate not exceeding Id per acre for tho purchase of poisoned grain to destroy small birds. The Road Boards to work the machinery of tho Act, and no district to be subject to tho provisions of the Act unless application by three-fourths of the residents in the district be made to the Road Boards.] He might point out that, as this nuisance had been brought on them by the Acclimatisation Society, the last clause of the petition prayed that all amounts paid for license* to shoot, &0., should be paid to the Small Birds Association Fund. The meeting at Leeston had, as he had stated, taken the petition and proposed draft Act into consideration, and they had agreed to it, except the alteration from the proposal of id per acre to Id per acre on all tho arable ground. There were some persons who thought that the small birds were a groat blessing, inasmuch as they were said to be great insectivorous birds. A gentleman in Otago had two paddocks, in one of which there were a number of grubs, &c., aud in tho other grain. Tho sparrows went for the grain, whilst a flock of starlings, which came along, cleared off all the grub*. He had advocated the introduction of the starling, which had been objected to because it was said that they. conveyed the infection of *cab. Now, ho denied this altogether, as the birds, so soon as they left the sheep, went down on to the earth, and thus completely disinfected themselves. He was of opinion that they should offer rewords for tho eggs of tho small birds in the spring and also the heads. Mr Peter Muir spoke as to tho efficacy of poisoning the sparrows and small birds by the sowing of wheat poisoned by strychnine. He desired to point out that tho poisoned grain should be sown when the birds were breeding. A gentleman present stated that tho best method of sowing was by drill, which would prevent the birds getting at it. Mr Muir said that unless a stop was put to the small birds nuisance tho Government might just as well burn their trucks on the railway lines. Mr Peryman said that he would move—- “ That the memorial read by the chairman be adopted by this meeting, and that copies of the same be forwarded throughout tho district for signature.”

Mr Lewis said that he should like to see tho power of dealing with the money and raising the rate left in tho hands of the sparrow clubs rather than in those of the Road Boards, Tho Chairman said he had done this because the Road Board could collect both the road rate and the sparrow rate together. If this were dissevered from the Road Boards and put in tho bands of what was really a private club, the expense would be very largely inareased. Mr Gamznaok said that at Springston they had passed resolutions asking the House to legislate enabling the ratepayers to levy a rate for the destruction of small birds, and also petitioning for the removal of tho Acclimatisation Society. Ho would now read the petition agreed upon by the Springston Club, which simply asked the Legislature to introduce a Bill empowering the Road Boards to rate up to Id on the acre on requisition of threeffourths of the residents in the district. He thought that the framing of the Bill should bo left to the members of the Legislature. Mr Henderson said that he would be happy to second Mr Peryman’s motion with reference to the sending of a petition to the Assembly. He thought therefore that they should appoint a committee from this meeting to draw up a petition to tho Assembly, and send it round the district for signature. He would like to know whether it was intended to tax Crown lands.

The Chairman said he should propose that the tussock land should pay half the rate of the agrioultural land. A gentleman suggested that they should introduce the sparrow hawk, which would, with the poisoned grain, soon got rid of the sparrow nuisame. Tho Chairman said he could assure the gentleman who had just spoken that he had seen the small birds chase the hawks.

The motion was put as follows “ That this meeting recognises the necessity for the petitioning of the Assembly to prevent the email bird pest,” and carried with one dissentient.

Mr Miln, who had dissented, said that he felt that the first thing to be done was to abolish the Acclimatisation Society by legislation, and petition the Assembly to prevent the society from introducing birds of any kind, so as to prevent the nuisance now felt by the farmers. He believed that the small birds eat a large number of insects, whilst they would alio eat grain when they could gel it. He thought they were going the wrong way to work in the matter, and he was of opinion that the Boad Boards had quite as much as they could do. He thought the farmers ought to be able to carry out tho poisoning of the birds as well as the sowing of the crops. Mr Peryman said that the Act was necessary to compel persons to poison their paddocks, because ho might do it and the next one to him might not, so that the one who did not reaped a benefit at the cost of the one who did.

Mr Sisson said that, though ho was not a farmer he was a fruit grower, and suffered considerably from the small birds nuisance. He should propose that it should be compulsory on all farmers to produce a certain number of birds by a certain date, or suffer a fine, which should go to the funds of the association for destroying small birds.

Mr Henderson then moved—“ That a committee be appointed to draw up a petition for signature to tho Assembly, such committee to consist of tho chairman, Messrs Lewis, Bell, Miln, Qammack, Peryman, Osborne, Bruce, Paterson, and the mover.” Mr Wright seconded tho motion, which was agreed to. Mr Gammaok said he desired to see tho following paragraph of tho petition of Captain Willis carried as a separate resolution—“ Your petitioners would further beg that, as the great loss and inconvenience which now oflficts them was caused by the ignorance and obstinacy of tho North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, your Honorable House would for the future cease to give any grant in aid of tho said society, and, further, that all money in future paid for licenses to shoot or for coursing bo paid to the Small Birds Nuisance Boards.” He begged to move this as a resolution. Mr Nunweek seconded the motion.

The Chairman said that when Mr Farr, the secretary of tho society, was remonstrated with as to the turning out of birds, he had said, “ Hang the public, what do we care for the public.” Hence they should be swept away, The motion was agreed to unanimously. It was agreed—“ That a meeting of the committee appointed to draw up the petition should be held on Friday next at’ tho Agricultural and Pastoral Association office at noon.” The meeting then adjourned.