SHOOTING AND FISHING LICENSES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8146, 2 July 1906, Page 2

SHOOTING AND FISHING LICENSES.

COMPLAINT FROM SPOKTSMEN. TO THE EDITOE. Sin,—During tlic short time you have been with us you have shown undoubted skill m uuravolling mysteries. It occurs to me that you might well turn your attention to the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society. It would be a crying shame for n society whose existence is of the highest importance to the district to be allowed to slumber away until no trace of it, and no visible sign of the fruits of its labour, remain. Nothing succeeds like success, but there has not been much success attending the Acclimatisition Society, and unless its work is taken in hand with, a little more energy there will sion be an end to shooting and fishing. This is certainly not the right time to take it for granted that pheasants will become extinct (as intimated by the society's annual report), or that poachers for fish will always get off scotfree. The balance-sheet published shews a very unsatisfactory and unfair state of things, as regards revenue and expenditure derived from shooting and fishing. The sportsman that carries the gun is responsible for the lion's share of the revenue, and the total expenditure for him on pheasants is .shown as £ll9s 4d, whilst the fisherman has cost the society over £-10 9s 2d. It would be interesting to know what the society propose doing to provide better sport for the ahootists. Pheasants will thrive as well here as in any other district, and other game might be imported as well.—l am, etc., I Teue Spost. A Daily News representative, acting on a desire to And out exactly how; things arc, interviewed the secretary of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society, Mr D. McAllum. THE SECRETARY'S VIEWS. When told of our reporter's mission, Mr McAllum said " True Sport" was barking up the wrong tree. The item, " pheasants' feed, £ll9s <td," was only a small part of the amount allocated to shootists. "That is for pheasants' feed, and for wire to confine the birds. At the end of last August we liberated six brace of pheasants, which cost us &'i 10s a brace, or 25s a bird." " But there is no mention in tho balance-sheet?" " No, they were bought in the previous year." " Will you liberate any more pheasants ?" asked the reporter. " No; no more. And you may tell these grumblers that if they think they can manage the Society any better than is being done now, they are quite welcome to my billet. Let them take it on themselves. During the past two years we liberated nine pheasants, three cocks and six hens, that cost about £45. Of course, they don't figure on our balance-sheet, for they were obtained through the Government. They were set at liberty, but owing to the sportsmanlike propensities of our people in Taranaki—Who refused to have a close season —the birds were shot there and then. Then, this year again, the sportsmanlike conduct of our Taranaki shootists has been shown. In A pril and May the birds liberated on the Barrett road were always around about my place. Tbey used to wander over my garden and paddocks like barnyacd fowls. In fact, they were becoming almost a nuisance, by rooting out my potato crop. In February they had young with them. Now, however, there's not a bird to be seen, and the probability is that some socalled sportsman has potted the lot. They don't care about sport. They'd as soon shoot a bird sitting as not." " But are they all licensed shots ?" " No. There is another matter, too. These young sons of farmers who are allowed to carry guns shoot everything thej come across. Our only hope of getting decent shooting is for some of them to buy up poor guns that will burst and settle the nuisance that way. Like the rhyme, you know: " Boy, gun j what fun ; gun burst, boy dust."

Mr McAllum added: Those members of the society who are doing all the work are men who nevor get a day's shooting or fishing. Those who ' growl because there is no sport, are those who shoot in season and out of season, and never come to our meetings. Look at the paltry attendance at last annual meeting." A KNIGHT OF THE GUN. A prominent sportsman, who has held licenses under this Society for several years past, was next interviewed. He was given the scent, and immediately got on the trail of the society's alleged wrong-doings. " They don't encourage us at all. They take over £SO in shooting licenses, and what do we get back ? One pound nineteen shillings and fourpence in pheasants' feed. They don't even give us a ranger to look after the game, or rather to see that unlicensed people don't shoot the game that we are supposed to have a special claim on. There's nothing here to prevent a man shooting without a license. I have not been asked to produce my lice lse in the last three seasons, and time after time I have met as many as four or live unlicensed men in one day carrying guns and poaching our game. The usual talc is that they have permission from some farmer to shoot over his land, but, of course, a farmer can only give one man that right." A suggestion was made by the reporter that this complaint might have been made at the annual meeting. "Hon 7 are we to do that, if the Society always hold its meeting on Saturday afteruoous. No wonder there is a poor attendance, and only farmers present. Townspeople can't attend Saturday afternoon meetings, and I reckon the bulk of the revenue comes from the town. But this is all old ground. I'm almost sick of trying to move tho Society to consider us shootists. Eyery Dick, Tom and Harry can shoot game here, and only a few pay for the privilege. Wo wanted a close season a couple of years ago, and the chance i was lost because the Society's executive didn't have enough " go" to gazette i the notice. ,

"I know," ho said, "that every licensed sportsman is a ranger. But I'm nol going to turn informer, and lose business. I know of a man who would act as a ranger, and do the work well. He'd report his own father. riSCATOKIAL POINTS. The next complaint was from a local angler, of considerable local and colonial experience, and he urged that the Society should pay more attention to stocking the Wahvakaiho with trout. Several others concurred in this view, pointing out the remarkable suitability of the stream for trout, as proved by the fact that all fish taken from it are in excellent condition. If that stream were in Canterbury, and a man caught 200 or iiOOlbs weight of trout, mostly upwards of two pounds, you'd never hear the end of it. We want a real good stream handy to town, and there is one. Rainbow does well there, and give good sport. . . If the Society wants us to talk at meetings, let them hold the meetings in evenings. Town men in business can't get off on Saturday afternoons, and the result is that two or three enthusiasts arc compelled to take office reluctantly year after year.