ACCLIMATISATION.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20215, 18 April 1931, Page 19

ACCLIMATISATION.

SERIOUS CURTAILMENT OF ACTIVITIES.

EFFECT OF GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS.

"The proposals in the Finance Bill affecting Acclimatisation Societies," according to a statement made to a representative of The Press yesterday by Mr C. H. Lawrence, president of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, "will have the effect, if made into law, of militating' against the good work done by the Societies in protecting the interests of sportsmen and in preserving game. If their activities are lessened much of the good work of the paßt will have been done in vain." t The Bill proposes that the Government shall retain all royalties, fees, and fines which at present are paid, and in the past have been paid, to the Societies. . ' - As far as the deer in the Eakaia forest were concerned, Mr Lawrence continued, they were introduced by the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, which was responsible for the introduction of gpossums. With the exception of salmon, the Societies had acclimatised the birds and fish in respect of which ■ they received fines for breaches of the Animals Protection and Game Act, and the Fisheries Act. The North Canterbury Society practically provided for all the ranging in its district. This year the salaries of the two permanent rangers and the temporary ranger, and their travelling expenses, amounted to £1149, In addition, the Society had a man permanently employed culling deer at a cost of £272; in royalties and licenses in .respect of deer the Society received only £BS. If the Society was deprived of these sources of revenue it must have the effect of curtailing its activities to a very large extent. Mr C. W. Hervey, the secretary of the Society, said that of the royalties received for opossums 20 per cent., and of the revenue from-fishing licenses 10 per cent., \yefO allocated to, research work, and to deprive the Society of the sources of revenue, as proposed by the Bill, would limit its'activities to a serious extent. It really meant the Government was expecting the Society to do tho work that the Government itself should do. No Society in ■ tho Dominion had done more than the North Canterbury' Society to keep doer in check. Since the 1020-27 season the Society had received a royalty of Is a. head, but it had cost it 4s » head for the destruction of deer. From the 1926-7 season to date- the Society's men had destroyed 5980 deer, Which did not include tho number destroyed by license-holders who werp not restricted to numbers, and had instructions to shoot hinds and malforms. A treasonable estimate would be that 10,000 deer had Ibeen destroyed In the. period mentioned. Mr Hervey supplied the following table to show the cost to the Society for culling deer, and the money received fronr licenses, royalties, and fines:—

GULLING. ExpenBes.'LlCimsea. Royalty.* £ 8. d. £ £ 8. d. 1026-27 275 12 6 125 37 12 6 1927-28 243 4 0 —- 60 19 0 1928-29 3#1 13 1 138 J8 0 1929-80 145 13 4 100 3{5 13 0 1930-31 272 16 10 70 25 19 10 'k:. £ a. d. . 1920-27 64.7 8 1927-28 , 68 17' 0 , 1928-2!) 134 }8 0 1920-30 64 11 1&30-31 56 19 4 Thp royalty received by tie Speiety from opossum! was as follows: 1 —' £ a. d. 1926-27 . 299 1 9 1927-28 240 1 1 1928-29 298 10 10 1929-30 357 8 10, 1930-31 .. Nottp band