AUCKLAND ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 661, 18 April 1914, Page 5

AUCKLAND ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

ANNUAL MEETING,

A very lively annual meeting of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society was held in the Chamber of Commerce

buildings, on Wednesday last. Mr W. 11. Hazard, president of the society, was in the chair, and tha room was packed, very great interest being exhibited in the election oE the president for the ensuing year.

In moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, mention was made by the president oC the amount received for license fees owing to tha licences not being on sals sufficiently early at the commencement of last season. No trouble was anticipated this year. Tha management of the halchery had; been unsatisfactory and very many fish and game had been lo3t. A change had been made in the curatorship. Quinnat salmon fry were to be introduced into some of the rivers, those on exhibition having been presented by the Government. Mr C. A. Whitney seconded the adoption of the report and balance-sheet. He congratulated the society on its change of front with regard to the introduction of salmon, but tonsidered that the Atlantic salmon was preferable to the Quinnat. n<s the latter died after spawning, whereas the former lived and returned again to its native river.

Some questions wera put on financial matters and members urged that steps should be taken to destroy the hawk and other natural enemies of game, also that more decisive experiments should be made with regard to the acclimatisation of partridges aa these birds were doing well at Cambridge and elsewhere, except for the depredations of vermin. Mr Hazard was nominated for the position of president by Mr Willis, and Mr Elliott seconded. Both these gentlemen spoke in congratulatory terms oE the satisfaction they fait that the working of the society afforded their district?.

Mr John Gleasing proposed Mr Richard Reynolds as president, and Mr A. E. Robinson, in seconding, stated that he did so privately and not as the delegate :>f any club or socinty, but that ho wished to protest against the treatment accorded tho King Country. At a meeting of the parent society held in Te Kuiti more than a year ago, representations h::d been made of the shortage of supplie? of fish rneted out to the district and prodigal promises of amendment had been made. From the president's report, just read, those present could learn that the?e pro mises had not been kept. Re considered that this neglect of the King Country was nothing short of disgraceful. . The ballotting resulted— Mr Hazard 108 votes, Mr Reynolds 62. The announcement was received with cheers for both gentlemen. Mr Hazard was declared duly elected. Mr P. Earl was ra-elected vice-president, and the old committee was sleeted en bloc. Mr Rejnolds thanked those who supported him and stated that ha was prepared to do all he could, financially and otherwise, to further the interest* of the sociaty. Had he been elected he would have moved in the direction of having the Government take over the control of all fish and game areas. If it wa 3 right for the Government tit take over the fiah in Rotorua and Taupo, it was right for it to take over the control of tish and game all over tha Dominion.