Editorial.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 149, 18 May 1877, Page 6

Editorial.

We observe from a report of the meeting recently held at the Beaumont to consider "the action taken by the Tapanui people to -obtain a severance from the Tuapeka County, and thoir desire to include in the proposed new county a portion of the Beaumont Riding, Mr Bennct, the memloer for that riding, is reported to have • Baid that " no doubt there was a good deal •of dissatisfaction on the Waipahi side of Tapanui, OAving to the Clutha Gounty not having adopted the Act iri its entirety, thus debarring the people there from participating in the benefits of public works. ' Mr Bennet seems to be pretty well informed regarding the state of the question as applied to his oavh district, but like many others when they travel from home, he, regarding the position of matters at ■Waipahi, is quite at sea. The Waipahi "people are not necessarily deprived of participating in the benefits of public works through the Clutha County not having adopted the Act. They have it quite in j -their power to establish a Road Board in . the district, and then they would as fully . share the benefits of public works as if the "whole Act had been adopted. We believe they may shortly adopt tbis course. But ■< apart from this, Avhat is the state of the case regarding them in the meantime ? It is simply this, that although they are not - called upon to contribute a single penny in the shape of taxes, they do participate -in the benefits of public works. The —County Council actually appropriated towards the formation of roads in that dktrict a much larger sum than they gave to • any , district where the inhabitants had •taxed themselves for years past to carry -on road works. Were the people of Waipahi to join the proposed new county, we have no doubt they would be allowed — 7aiay compelled to contribute to the full extent of taxes, but we question very much they would participate to any j^great extent in the benefits of public -works. If Tapanui Avere once established as a •^county toAvn, and resolved to open up "a route to the seaboard via the Bluff," we fear but a very small proportion of the funds of the County would be returned to for many years to come. They would be compelled to pay rates, but these r Tvs«ld all be required to open up this great .seaboard route, and to form roads in the immediate vicinity of the county toAvn. Were they to form a Road Board they would themselves have the fixing of the -7e±tent of their rates, and they -would also have in their own hands the expending of the money upon those roads they might -deem most necessary. But at present they • have money spent upon their roads out of :a fund to which they have not contributed -ra penny by way of taxation, — out of the paid upon taxes raised in other of the county. We believe Mr -Jennet's constituents at the Beaumont • have not been dealt with by the Tuapeka County Council in a manner so exception--v^ally liberal, and had the Clutha Council _ resolved to bring the whole Act into operation, as Tapanui would do, they Avould "before now have been made aware of proceedings being taken AA*ith a *vieAv to levying a rate. There is this further to point -out, that in the case of a rate being levied by the County Council, the amount, along -with, the subsidy, would be expended in • any district the Council might think proper. In the case of a rate being levied by a Road Board, the amount, and also the ■subsidy paid to the Board, would necessarily be expended in the district in Avhich the rate was made. We do not express an .^opinion as to whether or not the Act should have should have been brought into operation. We have said enough to - show that so far as certain districts are ■ concerned, there are tAvo sides to the ques- « Since the shooting season commenced, ~ we have had numerous complaints from various quarters regarding the illegal and rinsportsmanlike conduct of some of the licenseholders. With some parties there -.-- seems to be no distinction betAveen cock and hen pheasants, as both are destroyed mdiscrhninately. Partridges also have been fired amongst, and deliberately followed up with dog and gun from field to ....field with a view to their destruction. In '' fact, with some it matters not what the kind of living bird, game or not game, ■ wild or tame ; if within sight it is fired upon. Another evil apparently springing r. upJs this, that some parties are likely to fake out licenses, not for sport, but with a view to the sale of the game as a means of --. earning adivelihood. It Avas not with this ~r ..view that so large an amount of public money has been expended for acclimatisa->.-.tion purposes. It Avas in order to provide ~ legitimate sport for the present and future .-. inhabitants of the country. As the first ~_ruits of this expenditure are now being _ reaped, the utmost care should be exercised to prevent any abuse of the privi- . leges enjoyed being established. In our ..pinion the liberty to destroy game of any land _as been, granted quite soon enough. Although pheasants may be abundant in • some localities Avhere they were originally liberated, there are many large districts to - which they have not as yet found their .way. Had their destruction been pro^ i liibited for a few years longer there can be ; no doubt they would have spread much , more rapidly, and the whole inhabitants , - would have enjoyed more equals benefits i 7 from their introduction. In the case of 'A J^ partridges, we hope they will be allowed i /^plenty of time to get Avell over the counIpbcjF before any license to shoot is issued. \ referred to the abuse of the j

license, but we have reason to believe not a few kill game who have not contributed a p.»nny towards the funds of the Acclimatisation Society either as license feo or otherwise. An efficient remedy for all this may be somewhat difficult to provide. [ At the same time there are some deterrent measures which Aye think might with good ! effect be adopted. For example, avc nn- | dors tan d that at present licenses are issued | to all and sundry who proffer tli3 30s. No matter Avhat their character or position, they have simply to make application and ' pay the money. Now we think those applying should be made to procure a certificate as to character from a Justice of the Peace or other responsible gentleman. This Avould prove a sort of guarantee that the license would not be abused. Again, it should be a strict rule that in the case of anyone contravening the laAV the license would at once be cancelled, and he debarred from holding a license for ever after. Also, for the purposes of detection the proprietor or occupier of any ground shot over should have the right to demand of the sportsman the production of his license, and also to exhibit the contents of his bag. In addition to this the names of all licenseholders should be published in the local papers where game exists. None, more than we would deprecate the placing of undue restrictions, or the giving of unnecessary annoyance to sportsmen in their pursuit of pleasure, but Aye tare sure all true sportsmen Avould cheerfully concur in whatever measures might be found necessary to prevent the undue and illegal destruction of game by sham sportsmen or by unworthy characters. This class of sport is yet in its infancy in New Zealand, and it will be found a far more simple matter to guide it and get it placed upon a proper footing now than it -will be to amend the laAV and remedy evils after they shall have been of long standing. We therefore commend the matter to the consideration of the Acclimatisation Society, in the hope that some mild preventive measures may be devised before another shooting season comes round.