ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9133, 30 April 1908, Page 4

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Ti-.o annual j’ise ting oi Feildiag mid Distuct Acclimatisation Society was held last night, Mr W. A. Saiidii.mdrt being iu tiie chair. The report was as follows;—You will norice that there Las again been a. considerable falling off in the revenue from shooting licenses, though that from fishing licenses is practically equal to last year. Owing to the exceptionally hot and dry summer we have experienced, it 1b to be feared that the fish iu the smaller streams must have suffered severely, while the bush fires have destroyed a large percentage of pheasants and quail. The fish ponds have been established on Mr W. H. Wilson’s Tjroperty, on Kimbolton road, and have been stocked with both rainbow and brown trout, and the committee is pleased to have to report that the ponds have proved an unqualified success, ’though the initial cost has been rather heavy. The committee decided to liberate the pheasants in the aviaries owing to the high price of wheat and to the fact that Mr Woolven had sold his property, and it was impossible to find anyone to take his place in rearing the young birds. The mallard at the racecourse have clone well, and there are now 14 on the lake there. In conclusion, your committee trusts that in the future sportsmen generally will take more interest in acclimatisation matters, and help tiro committee iu its efforts to establish good sport in this district.

The balance-sheet showed the receipts to have been £239 8s 2d. The largest item of expenditure was £lO6 5s lid for excavating ponds and trout fry £.28 15s. The credit balance for the year was £35 13s Id and the assets over liabilities £283 Bs Id. The Chairman stated that the cost for ponds would not bo'' a recurring charge. The laud had' been taken under lease from Mr Wilson and they had arranged with him to look after the fry. These had coma on well, some of them being eight inches long. It was not intended to liberate them until the spring, after the floods were passed. He had been told by a gentleman from Pemberton that he had seen two stags and four Linds, and the people up there took great interest in them. Four had been liberated iu 1904 and it was now evident that they had increased. One of the six that were seen was a ten pointer. He regretted that there was not more interest taken iu the Society considering whac it had done in the matter of stocking the district with game.

The report and balance-sheet were adopted. No change was made either in officers or committee.

It was resolved that books of license forms for shooting and fishing be obtained and handed to Mr Wcrsfold for sale.