WITH ROD & GUN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 March 1939, Page 6

WITH ROD & GUN

WAIRARAPA ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY MEETING

Liberation of Pheasants Discussed.

SEPARATE LICENCE FEE URGED

Various matters affecting the control of fishing and shooting in the district and also the welfare of the sportsmen were discussed at the annual meeting of the North Wairarapa branch of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society, held in Masterton last night. There was a large attendance of licence holders, including Dr G. F. V. Anson, chairman of the Wellington Society. Messrs A. Seed, chairman of the Fishing Committee, W. A. R. Jones, chairman of the Game Committee and J. Boyes, a member of the council. The much vexed question of the liberation of pheasants was discussed and it .was decided to advocate for the introduction of a separate licence for shooting imported birds. A, motion to protest against the increase of 5s in the shooting licence fee was defeated.

The president, Mr C. E. z Grey, occupied the chair, and extended a warm welcome to the Wellington officials. The annual report and the balance sheet were adopted, the latter showing a credit balance ’of £9 8s lid.

Reviewing the activities of the past vear, Mr Grey said that the new pond at the Fish Hatcheries was capable of turning out from 25.000 to 30,000 yearlings a year. He had never seen a better pond at the Hatcheries than the smaller one. They were Very lucky to have so many fish available for liberation in the streams. The shooting licence fee had increased but the society would not benefit as a result. He had always been against the introduction of pheasants into the district because of the danger of poisoning. Quail had almost disappeared because of poison laid for rabbits. It was now almost impossible to secure a bag of quail in the district. Care should be taken in the preservation of feeding grounds for duck as hundreds of acres near Lake Wairarapa were now being drained and cultivated. As a result ducks were losing a lot of their former feeding grounds. He advocated the introduction of Tasmanian quail for game shooting, and considered that they were a type of bird which would do exceptionally well in New Zealand. IMPORTING GAME BIRDS. Mr W. Downes gave an interesting review of the habits and characteristics of the woodcock, snipe and plover. He said he did not know of any birds that would be so useful in New Zealand. They were capital Sporting and excellent table birds. They would not be affected by pollard laid for rabbit poisoning because they Were not grain birds.

After agreeing, that it Was no tiSC trying to introduce pheasants into the Wairarapa, Mr R. V. Mason said he had been informed that the Council intended sending the curator at the Hatcheries and his assistant to the King Country to collect ova. During that period the Hatcheries, he understood, would be left without anyone in charge. That was entirely wrong. Mr Seed: “To save the time of the meeting listening to incorrect information, I Would say that the Hatcheries will not be left vacant.” In reply to a question by Mr F. C. Brockett, Mr Grey, said he believed that an assurance had been given by property owners, on whose land pheasants had been liberated, that licence holders would be allowed to shoot the birds when they increased sufficiently. Mr W. Harding said that the pheasants he had arranged for liberation on properties at Tinui were being protected and were on the increase. There was no pollard poisoning, laid for rabbits in that area.

Discussing the question of the increase of five shillings in the shooting licence fee, Dr Anson said that the North Island Council had recommended all societies to ask for the increased fee, the extra amount to be spent on ranging, liberation of game and the destruction of vermin. The first the council heard about the extra amount being used solely for the destruction of vermin was when the licence fee was gazetted. All they could do now was to grin and bear it. The council in no way intended that the money should be used wholely for that, purpose. The question of importing further game birds into New Zealand, he continued, had been discussed by the North Island Council. It was a question, however, of whether sportsmen would consider the smaller type of bird worth a shot. The matter had to be gone into cautiously. Some time ago £3OO had been spent in importing game birds from India, and only five had been landed alive. He favoured importing more birds but he wanted the position fully investigated first. Faster means of travel might now make it possible to import grain eating birds more easily. Eggs in an incubator might also be a solution of the problem. WORK AT HATCHERIES. Mr Seed congratulated the Masterton committee on the excellent, work it had done in improving the ponds and surroundings at the Hatcheries. Great credit was due to the enthusiastic committee, the members of which had done the bulk of the actual work themselves. Dealing with the liberation of fry, Mr Seed said that it was his considered opinion that in all matters of liberation and fish culture the nearer they got. to nature the greater degree of success was likely to eventuate. To his mind, fry should be liberated in the head-waters of the smaller streams. It was very definitely the intention of the society to leave someone in charge of the Hatcheries while the curator was away. If they could get a million ova from the King Country they Avould not be depleting Iheir own streams, and they would also have the advantage of securing ova from land-locked rivers, which was an important point. It was only an experiment but if it was successful it would be all to the good. It would not be an expensive undertaking. In reply to Mr Brockett, Mr Seed said they were not going to rely solely un the King Country experiment. A million fry had already been ordered.

Mr Grey said that the Masterton committee intended to keep the fish at the Hatcheries until they were yearlings. He believed that fishermen in a few years would say: “Give us yearlings and not fry.’’ Not two or three per cent of the fry liberated in district streams survived the menace of eels and floods.

Discussing (Fie- attitude of the council toward shags, Mr Seed said the policy of assisting keen men to destroy

shags was being continued. The old policy of paying ra general bonus for shags feet had fallen down. They were now concentrating o<’ reliable men and they were keen to encourage and extend the work. The figures were very \atisfactory. CLOSE SEASON: Asked for his opinion on the question of a close season, Dr Anson said that the general opinion of delegates at the North Island Council meeting was that a close season could not be introduced without two seasons’ notice. Societies could not finance it under that time. It had not been found necessary nor desirable to give that notice. Reports indicated that ducks were holding their own. Mr Jones said he was pleased to hear that pheasants were doing well in the district. The information coincided with what was happening in other areas. At Foxton they had done so well that it would not be necessary to liberate any more this season. The council would be only too pleased to consider the question of the importation of Tasmanian quail, while it was hoped to be able to liberate mallard duck freely in the different districts next season.

Mr G. F. Birkett said it was conservation and not a close season that was wanted. He advocated the systematic planting of feeding areas. Questioned as to whether he thought a 30s licence fee sufficient to cover the costs of producing enough pheasants to give shooters reasonable sport, Mr Jones said that allowance had to be made for natural breeding. They did not expect that every bird liberated would be shot. The licence fee was not sufficient to cover the cost of breeding and liberating the birds. Dr. Anson said they definitely could not liberate pheasants at 16s a pair for men to shoot with a 30s licence. The natural increase had to be taken into consideration.

Mr Downes said that as compared with England pheasant shooting was much too cheap in NOW Zealand. Before the Wellington meh withdrew Mr Grey thanked them for the assistance they had given during the past year. INCREASED LICENCE FEE. Mr Birkett raised the question of the increase in the shooting licence fee and he moved: “That an emphatic protest be lodged regarding the rise in the licence fee, more particularly as it applies to us in this district, as we consider that any rise insofar as we are concerned is unjustified, particularly as game is scarce and unsuitable conditions exist here for the liberation of certain species of game.” He agreed that it was difficult to breed pheasants in the Wairarapa, and said the snipe and woodcock would do much better, particularly in the vicinity of the lake. The rise in the licence fee was wrong, particularly as only a few pheasants were liberated in the district last year.

Mr Brockett pointed out that the cost of everything had gone up. Shooters could not expect to get things at the same rate as they did twenty years ago. The actual cost of the licences was very small as compared with what shooters and fishermen spent on other things during the season. He thought the increase was perfectly justified and he would not object if it were also applied to fishing licences. Mr Grey said he favoured the motion but realised that they could, only protest at this stage as the matter had gone through. They were not justified m paying 30s for a shooting licence in the Wairarapa. If shooters were not prepared to go down to the Lake and get a few ducks early in the season it was not worth taking out a licence. Pheasants were the cause of the increase and there were none of them unprotected in the Wairarapa to shoot.

Mr Mason considered that the motion was tackling the question at the wrong end. What was wanted was a separate licence for imported game. At the same time he objected to the Minister adopting such a dictatorial attitude in the matter. The Minister had asked the council to set up a committee to advise him and then he had overridden their recommendations. He agreed with the money being used for the destruction of vermin as it was no use importing fresh birds with so much vermin about.

On being put to the meeting the motion was lost.

SEPARATE LICENCE WANTED,

Mr Mason then moved that the meeting strongly protested to the council regarding the unfairness of the present system of licence fees and urged that a separate licence be introduced for the shooting of pheasants. The Minister had repeatedly said that the man who got the sport should pay for it. That was a viewpoint with which every sportsman would agree. Except in isolated areas pheasants were not on the natural increase.

Mr Grey said that a separate licence was the only reasonable thing to establish. There was no imported game in the Wairarapa to shoot. After some further discussion the motion was carried unanimously. It was decided to recommend to the council that the question of providing a better water supply at the Game Farm be considered.

The following .officers were elected for the ensuing year: —Secretary and treasurer, Mr W. H. Dale; committee. Messrs C. E. Grey, W. Hope. F. Pickering, B. Hunt. F. Palmer. W. Wooding. "C. Pickering. G. F. Birkett, T. White and W. Harding; delegate to Wellington Society. Mr Dale. At a subsequent meeting of the committee Mr Grey was re-elected chairman,