STAG HUNTING

Hokitika Guardian, 3 May 1928, Page 4

STAG HUNTING

INTERVIEW WITH MR GODFREY WILLIAMS. CHRISTCHURCH, May 2. Nut many people would care to travel right round the world iu the hope of shooting four stags. Not many could afford to do that even when travel and sport are their hobbies, and time is no object. But it has been done by Air Godfrey H. Williams, of Aberpergwn, Wales, who left England a couple of months ago for South Westland, and went back to Wellington last night to catch the Niagara for Home again. And instead of regretting the trip, Mr Williams is going to repeat it, and persuade others to do the same. He is going to do it. first, because deer-stalk-ing in New Zealand, if the visitor gets into the right hands, is better than anywhere else in the world, the stags heavier—almost twice as heavy as in English and Scottish herds—and their heads unmatched anywhere unless, perhaps, in Austria ; because be is sure there could not be finer sportsmen in the world than New Zealanders—more hardy, more cheerful, more enterprising, more generous; and because New Zealand offers so many other attractions to sportsmen when they are not bunting deer. Mr Williams said that be was taking back five heads (one oi them a royal presented to him by Air .1. Forbes), the smallest of which was better than the best head shot iii Scotland in 50 years, in addition to the royal, lie had one IG-pointer, and three with 14 points, all 42 or 43 inches long, and measuring up to 10:'} inches in circumference at the base. And to show what the New Zealand stag lias grown to in weight, Mr A\ iliiams said that lie saw one stag which almost certainly weighed 45 stone. Those he shot weighed up to 32 stone “cleaned” or “dressed, of course, with their skins on. while a. Scottish stag was considered good n bis “ cleaned ” weight was from 111 in 18 stone.

AYitli regard to game in general. Air AYilliams said be bad been struck by the fact that be bail seen only one rabbit in Canterbury, and wondered how this result bad been achieved in a country in which a rabbiter’s living depends not on the scarcity oi this pest, bin on its abundance. He was bimsvli a. farmer, be said, and be bad found that, the only effective way of keeping rabbits in check was to pay a man a'regular wage to destroy them, and ling him for every one found alive. lie thought, also, that any man who was not keeping the rabbits down, even in New Zealand, bad too much land.

But what interested him iar more than the rabbits was. he said, the number of weasels in the country. Instead of lining people for destroying these, Air AYilliams said, the Government or the Acclimatisation Societies should nay a royalty for their destruction—they were vermin, which never did, and never would, exterminate rabbits. or do any country any good in anv other way, and in New Zealand were responsible for the most sbumeliil destruction oi native birds. Air AYilliams said that be found nothing in New Zealand anywhere which affected him unpleasantly but tlie number of weasels and the number of swaggers. and be was for drastic measures against both. If a man would not work, lie said, speaking oi the professional swagger, he should not vote or enjoy any of the other privileges of citizenship, and these men should be driven off the road, where they were sponging oil the baekhlock settler, and compelled by the police to maintain themselves. He knew, he said, that this was politics, and very Conservative politics, but it was common-sense, and in the interests of the country.