REDUCED ORDERS

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20914, 20 September 1939, Page 11

REDUCED ORDERS

LIBERATION OF PHEASANT QUESTION OF STATE CONTROL (Special lo Time*) WAIUKU, Tuesday "We are in a difficult position,” said the president. Mr F. E. McKenzie, at a meeting of the council of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society at Waiuku tonight, in explaining why the society bad reduced its orders for pheasant for liberation next year to 3000 compared with 4000 last year. Mr McKenzie said that when the shooting licence was increased by 5s it was intended that the extra money •should be spent for the liberation of additional birds, but the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry, had required that the 5s per licence be sent to Wellington to create a national fund for the destruction of vermin! Following this decision the Minister had declared his intention of making two. close seasons for grey duck. The opportunity of shooting grey duck led many sportsmen to take out "a shooting licence, and the removal of this was calculated greatly to reduce the revenue the society received from this source. Hence it might not have the same money to pay for birds as in previous ye^rs. “The position has been further complicated,” added Mr McKenzie, “by the indication by the Minister that he is considering transferring control of acclimatisation matters from the society to a special State department headed by a commissioner. The Minister has advised the society that he will be in Auckland shortly and this matter will be thrashed out with him.”