WAR DECLARED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 167, 16 July 1936, Page 17

WAR DECLARED.

DEATH TO OPOSSUMS. QUEENSLAND'S DECISION. MANY PROTESTS VOICED. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, July 8. The Minister of Agriculture in Queensland some time ago announced that there would be an open season for opossum killing, starting on July 1. As is generally known the Southern States have done their best in recent years to protect this interesting and useful little animal, and in New South Wales only one month in every twelve is an "open season." Even this, in the opinion of all naturalists and most farmers and settlers, is far too much, as it encourages the slaughter of the opossums out of season so as to sell the skins during the legalised period. The amount of harm thus done in this State, however, is insignificant compared with what is anticipated in Queensland, where it has been ollicially announced that the authorities expcct that during the forthcoming open season about 1,500.000 skins will be obtained. This is not the first time that Queensland' has made herself notorious by facilitating the reckless destruction of our native fauna. The declaration of an open season against the koala in Queensland resulted in the practical extermination of these beautiful little creatures —rightly described bj r the president of the Rangers' League in a letter to the "Sydney Morning Herald" as one of Australia's greatest assets. It is true that nominally the open season proclaimed for opossum in Queensland does not extend to New South Wales, hut two months ago the fur traders in New South Wales were advised officially by the Queensland Government that there would be an auction sale of furs in Queensland soon after the season opens; and it has been stated publicly that already thousands of skins, from opossums trapped out of season, are awaiting transport from this State across the border. Changing Fashions Feared. What is the reason for this sudden decision by the Queensland Government to permit an organised onslaught upon these harmless and attractive little animals? The answer is that Ministers, after consultation with London, the chief clearing centre for the world's skins and furs, were convinced that this step is advisable. They were informed that as there has not been an open season for opossums* for a number of years, "if there was a close season this year it would cause buyers to seek skins other than opossum, so fashion in other skins would develop, resulting ultimately in the exclusion of opossum skins." It all sounds extremely hypothetical, and the motive behind this not particularly plausible argument is manifestly the desire for profit. The real truth about the matter was expressed more frankly and honestly a few weeks ago by a well-known American fur dealer in Melbourne. "Australians," he said, "do not realise the possible value of their fur trade." The world wants opossum furs, and he is sure that the trade, properly organised here, would bring in a revenue of close on a million pounds a year. Moreover, Mr. G'hakljean believes that the fur trade could be carried on successfully without ever extirpating the opossum, so long as killing and trapping are properly restricted. After all, he reminds us, the opossum lives on the average for only four years, and when it dies it benefits nobody. This is not very convincing, but it at least puts the crusade against the opossum in its proper light as a purely commercial or financial speculation. Of course the many people who take a sincere interest in the preservation of our native fauna have protested vehemently against what they regard as a grievous and discreditable blunder. Mr. D. G. Stead, one of Australia's most distinguished naturalists, who is president of the Wild Life Preservation Society of Australia, has telegraphed a strongly worded remonstrance to the Queensland Government, and has asked it to delay action pending an inquiry by an independent authority. At the same time he has sent a wireless message to the University of London Animal Welfare Society asking it to approach the British Government with a request to prevent the entry of opossum skins into British ports. An American Lead. Mr. Stead has reminded the British Government that when Australia protected the koala, the President of the United States prohibited the importation of either the animal or its skin into America, and it is hoped that Britain will now follow the American lead. So far as New South Wales is concerned, there is no probability that it will take example by Queensland and declare war on the opossum. The law against trapping and selling skins is rigorously enforced in this State. The other day a man at Dubbo was fined £50 for having opossum skins in his possession, and the Act permits the levy of fines up to £5 per skin-—a provision which has resulted in penalties of many hundreds and even thousands of pounds for offenders. Quite apart from the desire of the Government to protect our native fauna, there is plenty of evidence available to the effect that the slaughter of opossums has gravely affected "the balance of Nature" in this State and Queensland. The opossum is the natural enemy of the mistletoe, and with the decrease in the number of opossums, the mistletoe has' been gaining ground rapidly in our indigenous forests, and destroying eucalypts by the thousand. The strangling of the gum trees means more than the loss of valuable timber. A settler, writing to the "Sydney Morning Herald" recently, says that he has just completed a trip through the north coast district up to Queensland and south again by Batliurst and Mudgee, and so to Queanbeyan, and everywhere he found fine trees killed by mistletoe. The destruction of the gum trees has still further repercussions, as evidenced by discussions at recent beekeepers' conferences. The bee industry in Australia depends almost entirely upon the bloom of the gum trees blossom freely; and this opossum, by encouraging the spread of the mistletoe, is now threatening the beekeeping industry with ruin. The writer believes that with reasonable care, the industry will shortly be producing for export 10,000 tons of honey a year, but this is possible only if the gum tree blossom freely; and this means that the mistletoe must be kept under, and this in turn means that the opossum must be permitted to flourish and multiply. Possibly the Queensland Government, may yet be induced to reflect on al.' tlis things and modify its disastrous decision.