ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 288, 29 April 1911, Page 4

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society was held in the Town Hall last night. Mr. J. E. Wilson presided over an attendance of twelve. An apology was received from Mr. E. Whittle for non-attendance.

The annual report was read as follows:

Finance—The receipts for tbe year were £2lO 10s !)d, which, with the balance brought forward, made a total of £220 14s lid. Fishing and shooting licenses realised £BS 8s 9d and £39 respectively. The latter, however, only lasted a month. The sum of .£BS 5s was paid for fry and eyed ova. Of this £6O was owing to the Hawera Society for the 1909-10 season. The actual expenditure for eyed ova was £25 ss. Pisciculture—The proposed fish hatchery buliding at Pukekura Park was abandoned, owing to its cost. A small building, with the necessary troughs and trays, capable of turning out nearly a quarter of a million fry, was erected' on Mr. J. E. Wilson's property, on the banks of the Mangaotuku stream, in St Aubyn town district, Mr. Wilson undertaking to look after the hatching of eyed ova. With the assistance given by Messrs' R. and W. Birch, the work was carried out at small cost. Fifty thousand eyed rainbow ova were purchased from the Tour- ! ist Department and 50,000 eyed sea run brown trout ova from the Otago Society. The hatching was only moderately. successful, owing to the water supply not i being sufficiently distributed. However, a good number of fish was hatched and supplies sent to the rearing ponds at Tariki and Inglewood and to a new pond at Warea, erected last year and placed under the supervision of Mr, Pelham. The balance was placed in the ponds at Pukekura Park under the care of Mr. A. H. Johnstone. The Tariki consignment did not travel well. Five thousand well-grown -fry were obtained from Hawera to replace losses. Owing to dry weather, the fish were placed in the streams earlier than would otherwise have been done. Last season's working demonstrates that the best results can only be obtained by placing the hatching and rearing of fish in the hands of a thoroughly experienced curator. Amateurs, however willing—and the Society ha.s a number of these—cannot hope to attain even fair results, as there is a necessity -or constant supervision and consequent expenditure of time which' cannot be given by those who have endeavored to carry out the work. The Society has now the services of Mr. G, T. Senie, of Masterton, who has had much experience and is thoroughly competent to undertake all work connected' with the. hatching and rearing of fish, at low salary. The council contemplates setting up a permanent hatchery with ponds for rearing and for holding stock fish so that we may breed our own fish.

The Society gratefully acknowledges the concession made by the New Plymouth Borough Council in supplying water to the hatchery at a nominal charge. The report referred to the weir erected across the Waiwakaibo river, which seriously interfered with the run of fish from the sea up ope of the Ijost' rivers..

Game—ln the hope of improving the supply of game, the council obtained 100 pheasants' eggs from the Wellington Society. Only .10 chicks were hatched, and none of these have survived. The eggs were not a good lot, and the Wellington Society made a concession on the cost. Two or three gentlemen in different parts of the district have been rearing pheasants, and tho Society hopes to begin game reading Svhen Mr. Scale arrives. Reports show that there is a good supply of pheasants and Californian quail in the district and that there should be good shooting. The apathy shown with regard to shooting out of season and by unlicensed persons can only have one result, viz., the extinction of game. Rules—The rules of the Society have been re-modelled in accordance with the regulations issued by the Minister for Internal Affairs, and an application made to register the Society under the provisions of the Acclimatisation Act. After waiting a long time for notice of registration, the council pressed for this, and were informed that the rules do not comply with the regulations. Repeated requests have failed to obtain any reply as to where the rules do not conform. The policy of the Department appears to be to hinder rather than to encourage societies in their work.

Opossums.—Tlie.se are reported to be numerous in several places. The climate evidently suits, and if they nre allowed to increase they will in time become valuable.

I Every year sees more licenses issued ' and more people personally interested in acclimatisation work. The membership fee is nominal, and even a small increase in the revenue would enable the Society to get out more stock. Mr. D. McAllum, who has acted as secretary to the Society for the past 18 years, na? notified the council that he does not seek re-election, and it will be necessary to fill the vacancy. In moving the adoption of the report, | the chairman stated that clearing up arrears and the extra expenditure on the ! hatchery had reduced the available funds considerably. The present hatchery was now big enough, but the main question was the holding ponds. This, however, would be a matter for the new curator. Mr. F. McAllum had offered the Society a site for a hatchery and rearing ponds near the old tannery on the Frankley road, where there were good springs, etc., and it might be desirable to move there. The increased number of fishing licenses taken out was a distinct encouragement. Every year now there was better fishing to be obtained, and there was no doubt the work of the Society was beginning to show up. As regards the future operations, he had a very important notification to make regarding the appointment nf Mr. Scale, who had had much expertence both with fishing and game, having been for five vears employed by the Wellington Acclimatisation Society in looking after their ponds at Masterton. He was highly recommended, and would arrive here next week. It was proposed that he should also act as ranger. The pheasant reaving was an utter failure, for which the Wellington Society was entirely to blame. Naturally, Wellington would not admit this, but met them by only charging half price. He understood some Taranaki gentlemen had reared pheasants, and had some in captivity. These birds might be secured, and a start made with rearing a stock. In regard to the registration of the Society, lie pointed out the difficulty in dealing with the Minister of Internal Affairs. He also instanced the fact that the season before last the Society had spent £4 in prosecuting a man for dynamiting fish. The man was fined £5, and costs £1 Bs. The Society applied for some refund, but was informed by the Government that the request could not be acceded to, as the prosecution had been laid under the Fisheries Act, which did not provide for any refund. Thus the Society received very little encouragement in its efforts to keep down poaching. As- regarded membership, he thought a number of business people in the town and others in the country who did not shoot or fish, but who took an interest in the Society, would become members at a nominal fee, and thus increase the funds so that ultimately a game farm might be started.

His own view was Mint, unless the farmers looked after the game it was hopeleas for the Society to do so. A better spirit prevailed now, and although. some unlicensed scooting still took place, they were getting voluntary assistance towards its suppression. In conclusion,, ho referred to the good work done by the Kahotu committee. Mr. Ogier seconded the adoption. Mr. McAllum referred to (lie Wniwakaiho weir, and considered they »hould! send a remit to the conference of New Zealand Acclimatisation Societies on the matter. Mr. Wilson said the drop was not SO' abrupt now as at first. In half flood fish could get up stream. The report was adopted. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. Officers were elected as follows:—President, Mr. J. E. Wilson t re-elected); vice-president, Mr. W. L. Newman; lion.. secretary and treasurer, Mr. O. N. Firth; council. Messrs D. McAUum, E. Whittle,, Chas. F. Young, W. Ogier. A. H. Johnstone and Eric Bayly; auditor, Mr. W. P. Nieoll.

On the motion of the president, Messrs Newman and McAllum were appointed' life members of the Society. The president slated that this was 'the first occasion on which the honor had been conferred, but the present .position of theAcclimatisation Society was due to tho good work done by these gentlemen in' the early days. GENERAL. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Messrs Sole Bros, for supplying free of clinrgc food for the young fish." Mr. McAllum then'moved that it be an instruction to the incoming council' to prepare a remit for submission to the conference of New Zealand Acclimatisation Societies asking that legislation be passed to amend the Fisheries Act so as t<>' make it compulsory that anyone who places a weir across any stream shall provide fish ladders for the same.—This: was seconded by the chairman and carried.