ARAPUNI LAKE.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 224, 16 February 1928, Page 1

ARAPUNI LAKE.

PARTIAL SANCTUARY. For Game Birds. A letter received from the Ngaruawahia club by the council of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society at its meeting in Putaruru last Thursday, asked the council to approach the Government with a view to getting Arapuni lake declared a bird sanctuary. An into resting discussion followed, with strong opposition to the proposal on the part of some members of the local club being shown. The chairman stated that there was already a chain reserve all round the lake, and it would be an easy matter to declare it a sanctuary. Mr. Fitzgerald: I should like to be convinced there is any argument in favour of the proposal before supporting it. Local sportsmen in the high country are at a distinct disadvantage to those in the low country. If we close the lake we shall be reserving the little bit of shooting we have in favour of poachers. The lake has few likely breeding spots, with the exception of the tributaries, and these can’t'he made reserves. Mr. McKenzie thought the request should have come from the local club and not from Ngaruawahia. It was the policy of the society to have more sanctuaries. Owing to the beneficience of the Government they had sole control of the lake, and when' there was more fishing a ranger would be appointed who could enforce the game reserve provisions. The lake had not much weed, and so was not a good breeding place for ducks, and there would not be endless formalities to go through to declare it a sanctuary.

Mr. S. C. Snell objected strongly to the proposal, and moved that the lake be open to all shootists with a license.

Mr. Fitzgerald seconded this pro forma.

Speaking to his motion, Mr. Snell held that too many such resolutions were rushed through without a knowledge of local conditions. He had 30 years’ experience on the Waikato, and claimed that no one would get 25 ducks in a week after five years closing of the lake. It was not a suitable place for them, and would be always open to poachers. Mr. took thought the sanctuary would protect the birds, as the Ashburton Domain lake did. The latter was surrounded by houses, yet the ducks arrived there just before the season opened. He had seen as many as 600 at one time. Ke thought it would be the very best thing for the district to close the lake for two years.

Mr. Fitzgerald thought the matter should be deferred until the lake was properly ranged. A compromise might be affected by closing the lower portion only, which optimists expected to become a suburban area shortly. (Laughter).

The chairman stated that he had. seen 250 ducks on the lake that day, but they were terribly wild. Mr. Pearce supported the suggestion of Mr. Fitzgerald. The five or six miles at the bottom end would he easily looked after, and as his property was a sanctuary he suggested that it be made the southern limit. He moved, an amendment that the northern end of the lake from the spillway to the southern end of his property be declared a sanctuary. Mr. H. Barnett seconded. Mr. Routledge asked what the legal position would be if a sportsman shot ducks on the far end, and was caught coming through the sanctuary by the dam in a boat with his bag and gun and dogs on board?

This proved a poser until the secretary pointed out that a condition of exemption could be put in the notice in regard to the sanctuary. The amendment declaring the lower ' portion only of the lake a sanctuary was then put and carried, with but one dissentient voice.