ROTORUA AND TAUPO TROUT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 239, 13 October 1906, Page 6

ROTORUA AND TAUPO TROUT.

PROPOSED NEW PISHIXG DISTRICT. AUC_____nD SOCIETY'S PROTEST. A special meeting of the Auckland Aeclimatistion Society's Council was held yesterday afternoon to confirm the sending of a petition, drawn up by the secretary, for forwarding to the Government'in protest of its recent decision to form a new acclimatisation district, including Rotorua. East Taupo, West Taupo. and Piako, and to place it under the control of the Tourist Department Mea3rs F. Earl, (president). .T. Burtt, E. Horton, A. W. Chatfield. C. A. Whitney, E. W. Payton, and Dr. Hope Lewis were present. The president read the petition, which outlined the history of tbe society and its work in the introduction and distribution of salmon from the early seventies to the present lime. Emphasis was laid en the fact that to the society alone belonged the credit of acclimatising and distributing rainbow trout throughout New Zealand. The various other northern societies had been enabled to do excellent work within their spheres, and the Southern societies had materially benefited by the success of tho Auc__nd Society's efforts, while several of the Australian States had bought rainbow ova. from Auckland, and had thus introduced good trout fishing into the Commonwealth. It was pointed out that at no time, had the Government incurred the slightest expenditure, the whole cost being provided originally by the liberality of certain of the early settlers of Auckland; later by the game license fees and members' subscriptions, and not till 1898 was there any revenue from fishing licenses. In that year £57 was received, and in 1902 the sum of £134 came in. The rate of increase from that date was rapid, and during last season £650 was collected, and the. society would now bave been | in a fair way to get back its great expenditure, and its old members some reward for their pains and trouble. It | was unjust, continued the petition, that the Government should now practically seize a revenue it had d<"ne nothing to create, and thereby reduce the society's finances almost to vanishing point. The society had hoped with the fishing revenue to provide for the further introduction of game, birds and animals, )as it was borne in mind that the trout | were, established largely out of the j revenue from shooting licenses. It was \ proved that the revenue proposed to be | taken away amounted, roughly, to five- | sixths of the whole of the fishing in- | come, and should the proposal be. per- | sisted with, the society, just when it had j !an assured income, in sight, would have to choose between a precarious exis- ' tence and the entire closing up of all j operations. j The president read telegrams and mes- I sages from the Huntly Anglers' Club, I Hawkc's Bay Society, Hamilton Anglers' - Society, and others, protesting against J the proposed action of the Government, j and promising support to the Anckland Society in any course they might | think fit. to adopt in an effort to avert , the formation of a new district. i The concluding business in connection | with the petition was then disposed of j in committee. "■ •