THE ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Southland Times, Issue 1610, 26 July 1872, Page 3

THE ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

SEE, — Your paper of Saturday last contains a paragraph which purports to give a short account of proceedings of the committee of the South, land Acclimatisation Society, at a meeting on 3rd inst. I did not see it until last night. It statei that the meeting was called specially to consider the Obstructive action taken by one of the Trustees, which " would effectually prevent any further effort by way of introducing salmon." The committee appears to have endorsed this view, and doing so is tantamount to a public censure on the Trustee in question (of whose identity a note from the hon . secretary leaves me in no doubt). As Chairman of the Trustees, 1 think it is right to say that there is some serioua misrepresentation in all this. I know of no authority either in the Act or out of it whereby one of the Trustees can control the other Trustees. So one of them has any power individually, beyond what the Trustees collectively may have authorised him to exercise in matters which they define. This alone will show that the statement in the paragraph cannot consist with the fact, I do not comment on it further ; but as such a statement has been publicly made, it tc be due to the Trustees that as full a report oi the proceedings oi the committee as your reporter can furnish should be published, and ii that does not fully recount the circumstances upon which this imputation is based (which, il may be remarked, are connected with the appli. cation of the 2000-acre grant fund), then 1 cannot doubt fcthat the hon. secretary of thi Society wiU place at your disposal for publicatior

the minutes and correspondence bearing on the j question. I shall be glad to see the whole question brought fairly before the public, being of opinion thnt the successful introduction of falmon by means of the 2000-acre grant will depend in a great measure on the intelligent appreciation of the efforts that hare been made, aud thnt are now in nrogress, by the public interested in the result.— l am, &c, J. &-■ &• Me*zie3. Dun A lister, l^th July, 1872. [We shall endeavor to publish the information required in nexfc issue.— Ed. S.T.]