WORST FOR YEARS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 151, 27 June 1940, Page 21

WORST FOR YEARS.

MUTTON BIRD SEASON.

RESULT OF SUMMER STORMS.

(By Telegraph—Own Correspondent.)

INVERCARGILL, this day.

"The mutton birders, not unlike the farmers, have their setbacks when a poor season overtakes them, and this 1940 seaeon will be remembered by the mutton birders for many years to come," saM a man with 50 years' experience in the industry, when explaining in an interview in Ivercargill, why the seaeon had been such a poor one.

In the first place, he said, totara bark, which had been used for the past generation for packing the kits in to prevent damage to the kits was becoming bo scarce and difficult to obtain that substitutes had to be provided, such as dry flax or raupo, and long journeys were made to procure them. Next the kelp from which the kits were made was also scarce because bad weather along the coast had made it difficult to collect. It took a month and sometimes two months, to prepare for the season before sailing for the various islands every year. Whether the season was going to be a good or a bad one made no difference; the expense was there just the same.

The cost of transport to and back from the i&laiide was now so high that in the event of a poor season, like the one this year proved to be, it took the mutton birders all their time to pa'y expenses. It was not generally known what a fine climate they usually enjoyed on the islands, but this season happened to be one of the worst he had known since he etarted going to the islands 52 years ago. It was the coldest he had experienced. This would not have mattered so much if the birds had been in good condition, but instead 60 per cent of the birds were not -worth plucking, having little or no flesh on them. Thus out of every 100 caught 60 had to be thrown away.

Many persona were under the impression that scarcity of feed wae the cause of the birds being poor. This was a mistake. The ocean was alive with the feed the birds lived on, but'the weather was rough during the summer at the time when the parent birds had to obtain leed for their chicks and it was difficult for the old birds to fly home dairy against heavy gales. Each bird laid only one egg. A poor eeason discouraged many of the young mutton birders, with the result that some did not intend to go next season.