ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 282, 1 May 1914, Page 7

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

AiS'iM UAL .MJSKTINO. At tlii! annuil Meeting of the Turniiiiki Acclimatisation Society last night, Mr. \V. L. Newman (vice-president) prosided over a good attendance of members. ANNUAL REPORT. ''ill .submitting tile report your council have to congratulate t!u> 'society on the progress made during the past year. It lias been a busy and successful one, the largest number of ova ever handled by the society has been dealt with, the quantity being 281,000. The hatchingand rearing of the rainbow trout has been . very successful. The browns have not done quite so well, the -hot weather causing a certain amount of mortality. The fry have been distributed as follows: Wiaiwakaiho and tributaries, 134,000; Stony Kiver, 31,000; Kaihihi, 11,500; Warea, 10,000; Opunako streams 25,000; Ingle wood streams, 22,500;. Tarilri streams, 15,000; Te Henui, 12,000; Oaku'ra streams, 2000. The balance, 18,000, are still at the hatching ponds. It is intended to try to . dispose of 10,000 as yearlings and then liberate the rest in the VVuiwakaiho. Holding fry until the yearling stage is likely to prove a source of revenue. By referring to the balancesheet it will be seen that the Wanganui Society paid us £24 10s for this class of fish. The fishing season showed a slight improvement on the previous years and several good bags were reported, 'some of the iisli caught being very fine specimens.

The council held meetings on eight occasions.

Finance.—The revenue for the last year was £254 7s, which, added to balance, £8 la earned forward from last year and cash in hand, gives a total ot £270 12s. The expenditure has: been £244, leaving a balance in hand of £2O 12s.

Game. —An effort was made to push forward this section of the society's work. Last year an attempt was made to rear young pheasants, .but failed. During the year, 240 eggs were distrikuted to several of the farmers and other interested people, who kindly consented to try hatching the birds in their natural haunts, as it was thought they would thrive in this manner. Reports were most discouraging, as in most instances .hatching results wei'e poor, and only a few chicks were raised. It is proposed, after the shooting season closes, to liberate the stock birds at the hatchery in suitable places. During the year sub-committees were formed at Opunake and Okato, and have done good work in assisting to distribute fry and contributing materially towards the cost of liberation in their particular districts, as well as furthering the interests of the society in many ways.

The illicit shooting of game- is still rampant, and steps have been taken to catch some of the offenders. Two cases were reported during the year, and successful prosecutions followed. The good work being done by the society is not fully realised <l>y the residents of the district, otherwise it would receive _a _ larger measure of support. The majority of the members arc aware, or should be aware, that a hatchery at the old tannery, Frank-ley Road,' has been established, but outside the members very few people know of this. Mr Searle, an expert curator, has been engaged, and during the last three seasons has hatched out and liberated in the various streams in the district 081,000 fry. A game farm has also been established, and efforts made to rear birds for liberation. The society is very much indebted to Mr Searle for his "wholehearted work, and the care and attention he has devoted to it. Unfortunately the society is financially weak, and has been quite unable to offer the curator anything like adequate remuneration, a consideration not taken into account by Mr Searle, who looks upon his work as a labor of love.

Mi. Newman, in moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, said that the Society knew that the rearino- of pheasants had not been successful,"but the season had been wonderfully good for the hatching of trout, as was proved by the ready disposal of fish to other societies.

The secretary mentioned that a report by Mr. Scale showed that to purchase the number of Jish which the Society had reared, would have cost £4Bl. This fact alone showed the value of the hatchery.

The report and balance-sheet were adopted, after a brief discussion. ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

Hie following officers were elected for the ensuing year:—President, Mr. J. E. \\dson; vice-presidents, Messrs \V. L. Newman and C. Young; secretary, Mr. O. N. Firth; auditor, Mr. W. P Nicollcouncil, Mr. A. H. Johnstone, L. J. liai' A. Bewley, D. Robertson. L. li Webster, and W. F McAllum. GENERAL.

-Ihe secretary was voted the usual honorarium of £lO 10s, members beta" unanimous in appreciation of his zealous service. Air. Fj. Whittle wrote that he would be unavoidably absent from the mvetin" but ahked that llic fallowing rocoiumon(Nitioti be made to the incoming council: That the member for the district be reto ask, during the next session ot Parliament, for a return showing the number of casualties through pea-rille and other fire arms during the year ending March 31, 1914, and that it's subject matter be forwarded as a remit to the next annual conference of the New Zealand Acclimatisation Societies, nirectin» the attention of tile Government to the necessity for more stringent leevdation regarding the use of fire-arms, or the intraduction of a gun license. It was reported that, a ranaer hid l'"en appointed for the ensuing Vear