ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 146, 19 August 1926, Page 4

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

AUCKLAND BODY. Meeting at Morrinsville. The August meeting' of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society was held at Morrinsville on Friday evening, Mr. Whitney presiding over an attendance of about 20 members. Mr. F. J. Marshall apologised for the small attendance of Morrinsville members owing to the short notice given of the meeting. Accounts totalling £73 2s Id for hawk’s feet (including wages) were passed for payment. The chairman remarked that he thought the game licenses issued this year would be a record for the society. The sale of licenses by the post office had decreased, but by the sub-societies and agents a remarkable increase was shown. This was evidence of increased activity by the sub-societies. Commitments for the coming financial year were for 750 hens and 750 cock, the total cost being estimated at £3410. An estimated credit balance of £146 was shown, j SHOOTING OF PUKEKOS. A lengthy report was read from Mr. ! Withers, a member of the council, who had interviewed the Minister in Wellington on various important matters. Dealing with the shooting of Pukekos, Mr. Withers reported that he had urged upon the Minister that there should be an open season throughout the district for the shooting of these birds, even if the season was limited to one month. The Minister had promised to do his best to see that the request was granted. NATIVE PIGEONS. Mr. Withers reported that the Minister had promised to take more stringent steps for the protection of native pigeons. ABUSE OF AUTHORITY. In connection with the case of Benjamin Grayson, who had used his warrant to obtain protected birds from the freezer, and also using his authority as member of the council to do so, it was decided to notify Grayson that the society would move at j the next meeting, at the recommenda- ; tion of the Minister, for the caneella- •: tion of his license, and to ask him to explain why his warrant should not be cancelled. TAUPO LICENSE FEES, j In connection with Taupo license fees, Mr. Withers’ report suggested that the wealthy overseas fishermen should be charged from £lO to £2O for ' | fishing in Taupo waters, while the j “ poverty stricken New Zealanders,” who could only fish there for a few : j days each season, should be let off with £2. The Minister had thought a fee of £lO to £2O would be too much 1 to charge the overseas anglers. The chairman explained that a remit had been sent to the Dominion conference suggesting that the members £1 license for the whole of New Zealand, including Taupo and Toka--1 arm waters on the payment of an additional £2, and Rotorua for a further ' 2s 6d. Mr. Marshall thought they would have more chance of the request being granted if they urged for 5s at Rotorua instead of 2s 6d. “ If we don’t, get these concessions we can’t go on stocking our rivers with trout fry. We won’t get the licenses,” said one member. Mr. Johnson suggested that if the Government offered opposition on this occasion, the society should let the Government have its own way this season. The Government would then find that anglers desiring to fish at Taupo would take .out daily or weekly licenses and Spend only 2s 6d or 5s instead of £3. He moved that an alternative remit to the one already sent, be forwarded to the Dominion conference, urging- that the Dominion j license fees should be £1 10s, of which one-third should be earmarked by the Government for special purposes, and that a corresponding increase be made in the lower priced licenses; also that no special fees be charged for fishing in any particular district. He said he was in opposition to the council’s altitude in expecting the overseas fishermen to pay higher license fees than did New Zealanders. Why, he asked, should an outsider have to pay 2d on a tramway while a native of the town could g'et a ride for Id. Mr. Johnson’s remit was adopted. LIMITING SIZE OF FISH. The chairman considered that the only way to obtain larger fish was to limit the hags, and by closing some rivers for two years larger fish would later be obtained. It was decided to send a remit urging the size of fish to be taken from the rivers be increased from lOin as at present to 12 inches. A suggestion to limit the bags to 15 was not approved by the meeting, it being considered that a limit of 25 fish would be quite sufficient. (Continued in Next Column.)

Another remit was passed urging that the protection of the destruction, of weasels, stoats and ferrets be removed. It was also suggested that the council should pay a reward for the killing of these animals, which did more to kill game than even the hawk. TRAPPING OF EELS. A member asked would it be an easy matter to trap the eels which destroyed quite a number of fish. The chairman said it might be possible to trap and sell the eels and export them to England, where eels were selling for Is per lb. WOODCOCK. It was decided to allocate £2O for the importation of woodcock (a trial shipment) from Greece, and to endeavour to have them acclimatised. Another bird in which they should interest themselves, said the chairman, was ordinary common snipe, which strange to say inhabited Auckland Island, but were not seen in New Zealand. By snipe he did not mean the New Zealand bird which some? people called snipe. NEW GUN CLUB. A charter was granted to the Tauhoa Gun Club subject to the boundaries being' approved by the neighbouring bodies. TROUT POOD. A sub-committee, consisting of the president, Messrs. White, Cook and Withers, war appointed to report to the next meeting in connection, with flies for trout food. DELEGATES TO CONFERENCE. The president, Messrs. Cook .and Johnson were appointed delegated to the Dominion conference.