ONLY 20 FOWLS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 434, 16 August 1928, Page 11

ONLY 20 FOWLS

DEVONPORT MAY SET LIMIT BY-LAW SUGGESTED Th© Devonport Borough Council met last evening to adopt by-laws limiting the number of poultry that may be kept in any area. Owing to many complaints the Health Department advised the borough to prohibit the keeping of poultry in the more congested areas of the district. Considering that the making of such distinctions would involve the council in too much trouble the councillors suggested a by-law limiting the number of poultry (of all kinds, including geese, turkeys and domestic fowls) to 20 on any one section of land within the borough. Cr. Lyon and Cr. W. S. Campbell objected, the former arguing for total prohibition in some areas and no restrictions elsewhere. The latter wanted the size of a section set down as 8,000 square feet; above that the proposed limitation not to apply. Dr. Chesson, in a letter, lamented that the council had not seen fit to adopt his recommendation; the suggested limit of 20 poultry to a section would permit of keeping 160 to the acre, as the .minimum area of a building section in Devonport is one-eighth acre. This would be most unsatisfactory. He insisted that in the closely-occupied areas poultry should not be kept and that in other parts the number should be strictly limited. There was power in the Health Act to prohibit absolutely the keeping of fowls and there could not be any question of the reasonableness of any by-law framed under those powers. Mr. Gerard, on behalf of some poultry-keepers, was given permission to offer an objection. He contended that where there was sufficient room people should not be prohibited from keeping as many hens as they liked. The Mayor indicated that the Health Department insisted on making fhe by-laws more stringent than at present, but pointed out that the by-law could not be confirmed for a month, during which time any objections could be lodged. Dr. Chesson’s letter was referred to the council-in-c<ynmit-tee,