LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 27, 26 October 1907, Page 6

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

/ wXITARA HARBOUR BILL. . ' -The Petitions Committee; reported'on the New/lflymouth/petititon. against' the vWait'ara- . • Barbour BilU As'the Bill was under" the ' consideration of the Council, the Com- ' cnittce had no recommendation to nfake. ! : ANIMALS PROTECTION! BILL. I, PROGRESS IN COMMITTEE. The Animals ,Protection Bill (Hon., Dr.. ' \findlay).was ifurther considered, in _Committe. Clauses . 10,'11, and 12 were adopted with®ut amendment. ■ t ,. The Hon.J. E. Jenkinson movedito. reduce I tte .fee/foF/a/lifcense to sell imported game TromV£s' '. /- .. '-This'i-wasHon. Colonel I'oldinck. , . / ' ''Sweet-ReasonablenVss;.'!': y\- . ' The Attorney^en'e&l/saiiii. he had had. representations:i'rom.tKdse':intereated;;.in. favour of; reducing bespeak some .of- co-opnratioiifrom tho . -Hon. .Itfrli'^eniaiiM^^frafP^i^P^B^to.accepfe. the amenajnent.' 1 - /V' 7' 'The Mon.' : J. : E.fJenkinson: -''I .can't make , ' s contract." ~ > : *.'• • The Minister.:r"l'.,would7not.Bßk : the Honi : ' gentleman to' make.'tl '/'lt would .;• Bably -h6, , broken'..very soon.'' ; ' (Laughter;) : The nva's ' agreed, to on:/the Voices;'-; •••••'• > *rji,'./I;./':,//: :'- : - .- ;■ '■ The Boy and the'eun/-" 1 In the sub-section pVovides thiit .-licT: enses to, kill oi sell imported game shiili not pergihsj.uiider 16,' » ; \. The Hon.'J.-'jKigg'(Wellington). moyed : .to make the limit 12 years instead of. lb" J ;l said most' of .accident's, did : '.not : re-, suit from inabilityto shoot.f„ r He did v not - object .to 1 the/agd; limit'/as-'applied'-to- licenses • to 'sell.- Boys'would'-go 1 -'d'tit'and-kill'game .whether licensed or not.,-/,,; : :■•/:,/■.;/■: Tlip Attorney-General accepted the amend l . ment as applied to selling/ and in this form : it. was agreed,-:to ; . , A _.:. _/ . .■/ In the discussion, on another clause, the ■ ' Hon. Colonel Feldwick defended the Acclimatisation Societies from an attack made upon ti em at a previous sitting. He said, tho hpuso ispai row, which had becomo a nuisance, was ■i/ tioduccd in mistake for the hedge sparrow. The rabbit was not. Ac- ' ciLmatisation Society, buWniy?aV ! pnma" r 'in:- / d.\idual.. .. . ;ITno Small 3Ws^ubaiSS^"^-.sVVi; I The : Hon. J. iA'nstey to Cla:use 18, which gives the Governor power im declare that imported birds, being gi me,. may be killed in any-;dfstrict, and that without such authority hjp' imported Urds may bo killed, tinder a penalty not ex- .. ceeding £10. He said this-i.wduld- make it .. unlawful ' for the farmers t6': kilt sniall birds as 'they,', were now. without express \ permission: i It 'would 'be' better' to'/strike out''the clauso, Clause-28:gave, the r Govi . ernor power Ho bring any: birds withfethe ' protection proposed by the Bill. ■>' t - .The Hon.' Dr. Findlayisaidv-autlioriiy to kill 'birds'.when tliey ? granted-without any \ was copied almost prepisely ifrom,*the ,Act of 1880, and had been: in''force' 1 .fdr 27 ydars. The , Hon.' "ft'v- iW : . - M'Cardlo ! (Auckland), arguing against * the indiscriminate s destrud- • ; tion of small birds, told of a plague of cater- ' pillars years ago in the Waikato. One could not drive a buggy along the road'without, killing thern by.thousands. Small birds : ,wero introduced, and they quickly reduced the pest . and enabled farmers to .grow'much'bettor cereal crops. : ' J i The Hon. J. E. Jenkinsdn sought to mako the clause apply: to, animals as, well The Attorncy-Goneral promised to re-ebm- * Bait the clause!" . '. ' ■ . . .-. Ill: a number of perial..clauses a-minimum line as well as a maximum is'fixed:'The Hon: J. E. Jeiikinspn moved to delete the minimum in each case. He succeeded in . Clauses 13 (selling game without a' license) and 20 (killing indigenous birds); . V;s.r ,;- Swivel Guns. '■? 1 ' The maximum penalty for using a swivel or punt gun was increased on the motion of tho, Hon. J. Rigg, from £10 to £20. . ■ ' With regard to the minimum- penalty (£2)., . the Hon. J. E..Jenldrison,wished to strike-it out, and 'tho Hon. :J./Rigg sought'.to'make it £5. . ' '■ :

The Hon. S. T. " George, supported Mr. Bigg's proposal.,; The • iis'crs : of : these guns simply went out. to -kill; as .much as they ' could. .. , .- / , Tho Hon. C. Louisson said the use of a ' snivel ' gun., was oneij of. the' worst" offences under the Act... - Ho hau known 'a swivel' gun to sweep a lake clear of; ducks in a few shots. The minimum;.penalty, was raised to £5. 1 , ;■ i ' ■" -. '" " ' Trespassing. ■ The Hon. J. E. Jerikirison moved to strike cutr.Clauso 38,.which'provides that, any personV found trespassing on private' land with a gun, or dog and gun, shall prima facio be deemed to be. in pursuit of imported game or native game, and ' subject. to this Act.. " . ■ The Attorney-General said that the clango merely placed the burden of proof upon tho man found trespassing. It would be opon to ,'iim to prove that he was on the land with some other object. The clause was retained by 22 votes .to .4. Progress was then reported, and at 5 p.m. the Council adjourned until .8 o'clock. l !' f - £ ■ Coursing and Plßeon Shootlngr' . Further progress was mado with the Bill at the evening' sitting.,,.. The Minister moved to give powor to tho Governor to make regulations prohibiting or regulating the coursing, or killing ef hares in any confined space or enclosure. The Hon. W. IJechan said the amendment Tras evidently aimed at Plumpton coursing. It would do harm, a§,the. jy.ere taken from where they were at largo and caused damage, to where they were kept in ah enelosed space. The coursing which ho defended was always cafriod out under the ■■..'eye'of an officer of the Society for tho Prevention of Cruelty to., Animals. ~ Apparently, some people were getting' a lot' too good . for this .^vorld. ' The Minister pointed out that the Governor

would havo power;'to prohibit, or, as'an al-ternative;-to rcgnlato, coursing 'meetings.''-; ■ 'The Hon. J. Rige said "that open'coursing should; bo permitted. A.fdrm of, sport'which involved chasing' a hare' again, and again should be prohibited., .

. The clause was adopted on tlio voices. i Tho Attbrney-Gpneral also moved .to enable tlio Governor ;to make regulations "Prohibiting or regulating tho shooting or 'killing of .pigeons released '.-from - any trap,- box, or similar contrivance; 1 or'in any similar'method." • : ■■ -~ i! ''

This was agreed to without .discussion. At Clause 47, which provides for the disposal of license fees ; ;rad.'lines,'.'a'-noW. proviso Was added on the .motion' of tlio AttorneyGeneral ; as follows"Provided, however, that in any district under'the control of the Department of' Tourist 1 and Health Resorts, all such .fees and fines derived from' the said district -shall be -paid and credited : "to tho said Department in the samo manner, as if it wore a registerbd Lcclimatisation socioty." Stoats and Weasels. ' The .Hon. Colonel Feldwick,. on bohalf: of the. Hon. ;T.' Kelly, movfed a new clause;to provide that weasels-' and stoats may be killed - in certain-.•cases. .»(.• .

The ■ Attorney-General, explained that, the the same as- Clftuse.'B of the -Animals Protection Act, 1003, .which is now in - force., Ho agreed , that- it ought to boiinserted in tho- present compiling -Bill. J.The clause was adoptedJ. • . , This completed tho Glaus'os >of .the -Bill, and the .schedule's; were ithen. considered.; : ; ;i . >The Hon. S.' T.,George moved to omit .'of imported..-gamej biit-:'on- Dr. Findlay explaining .that as Colonial ■; Secretary " he , was. .' always 1 -.prepared; under Section 28 of tho,;Bill, to withdraw' protection; from: hares inj!districts whore thoy were .shown to be ,a- nuisance ',tho hon. : gentleman did not v :pfess his -amendment.; -. .. . ~ , On. the .motion of.-the; Pon. -S.. T. George, cn.rlew. .was allded,..to the schedule ■of - native game; : • , : ,i' : ■ -i-i-, -The Bi|l amondinonts. . IMPREST suppty. , • -The^lmprest'Supply .Bill-.'(No.'-5)- was received from the ;Hbuse'. of •. Representatives, put through all its'; stages and I .passed.''' - : EXPEDITINC BUSINESS. ; .The gave;notice to move thovsu'spensjon/of: tlio Standing' Orders for the!- rest of '.the session! so' far as to allow Government Bills! W be put through' all their stages at ;ond ''sitting: ,';'!. ''i, : The .pouricil .rose at 10 p.m.■ - v