KILLING SEALS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 118, 11 February 1908, Page 4

KILLING SEALS.

CHARGE AGAINST A SEAFARING < MAN. INTERESTING EVIDENCE. (BY TELEOBAPn—IJFECIAIi., CORRESPONDENT.)... i ' Auckland, February 8. ■ Gcorgo Ritohio,' a middlo-iged seafaring i i,, , . man, holding certificate,; was a dc.:.s.-. • pendant at tho Police Court on Friday, whon Mi. R. W. Dyer prosided,, on- tlio ifnusual ; . charge of . having, on' August 20 of last year :. / ; - tho skins ,of two seals in his possession at tho ;■?- - Cascade River,-and with havjng'killod a'seal: i,., ...- about the satno time,, tho killing and pos- ■ , session in. question being in 'contravention r. of the Sea Fisheries Act 0M894. Mr-,Mays,• i , •« ho prosecuted for the Department, said that i . the offences wore of a moro serious character , ; than might at :first-bo, thought^tho ponalty r ■ ■ . , for, killing, a seal in the close season being . • .a - fino not exceeding r £soo, while- an lmposii,., tiop. of £20 was incurred for • having -thp- ;• ; •,• • • skins in possession. • ■ Tho closo - season for seals extended up to Juno, 1908 i It tran- ■ ?-: j 1 apwed that a small steam launch owned bv ■ one Campbell,' and l navigated -by Ritchie, • set - : out.about tlie ..middle of'last year for tho ... . Cascade a wild and lonely spot, on' i. i - . -tho west coast: of tho South Island-The j!-: •:;party,reaohed the rivor and resided there for .- ■ a.time, and,.ampng other-pursuits, thoy went seal hunting. / Just howi the- hunting pro- ■•:- .' . ceeded .or resulted was not very - definitely ■ discovered, remarked Mr. Mays, but it np- . j--pe#rod : that somo five seals were killed alto-. r- >-f gether, one of them falling to the defendant', ' ! who also had tho skins oF two othersm. his jwsscssion. Apparently lie did not know,at. ; the time that ne was committing an offence-; ■ iVory few. peoplo wero oWaro of tlio. legal danger of such sport, but tho % matter was , "Owntnally reported :to.'the - Government,: and- \ « prosecution ordered, f r- .-.-•Vj i:>- ' ?r-r----•.-.'if Ritchie was (ho one-omployod to-tal;o>tho' launch round. to this river. . saul -"• no , .jpeoplo wero living there, t and m 'jv position' , iOf practical inaccessibilityrfrom tbs landward 1 fr*! Bide, except to a very few- bnshmen*. : In-.factr f-iv-/ ,' °? tho most: outlandish places ono could•t:'v.a , 'iimagnio, he added remimscently. Well, hero f'. ; they became strandod,.-the launch having t . .- . taken in so much water when crossing in over [ -: the bar that all; their food was spoiled; while j'. l -' a_sea SPt- u p .and .held,them-inside the bati l , , J The bar was, in short, ono of the worst cjiv U s the coast, and,the ferryman .was.drowned Iniv. : attempting to .negotiate <.while'*they, -wero- \ ' there. They had gone down there'in con- | ... I-, y noction with the starting of: somo flnxmill, j,' ,i- but it would appear - that tho venturo was p:-,",,: a n ill-starred 0110, "for thoro wo-,worn !i s A ' nonfood and starving,, and .what wero -WO-to-K';; r, - dor . ..askod Eitchio^' dramatically:''l"know Ex. . ■ ■ , tho law about seals, and I know it was illegal k" to kill them," ho went on, " but wo wauted ;••• , . food, and it was merely to get food that wo iv.v - ;killed, thorn. It may. be asked,- Why did •11 f not aftorwards report,,the matter? T Well, L b: thoughtj tlihfc was-.for 'hiy masteF'td iMr.-, Dyer:. " Sealskins aro valuable. Did b.r'■■■ you bring them away? " t " No, They are down there " , "And how did you get away 0 " < . "Well,- a man.camo down with a loitor, 1 t and ho showed me tho way though,tho bush * 5:: .-. There, is only communication- thij f ;.place and tho outside world* "once in 1 two j.. '' months. ;. I lost all my money and clothes in i;.- . that expedition, .and havo now to go before (-, j; : the mast in ordqr»-to; support my wifo and ?• { •i;''.. children, as no command is at presont avail- ( > able" , ' When first accusod of the offence, Ritchie t; -.made, statement which Mr. Mays - quoted l ' ;.against = him,\as -having' nothing, m it about I koi,--.' shortness of .food. , .the'-'State-' i- ment in question, Ritchio and ono of the others went out fishmg. for rOck-cod, and v .. wlulo out they siiw somo young seals • and went after them * j Ritchjo mtoiposed that thero was another .■< , :/:.';.v;.:-;aigned.-',statoment...that went into the matter . > moro\ explicitly Mr Dyer " man should not 5 W piosecuted fot taking them for food, hut, according to the statement, thcio is nothing about, starving; Why .did you • not • mention -. : -it at tho time?"--

; ; 1 .-V :• . I .in.ay ,not have jnontioned.it, but it? was I ■ tbo easo Everything was soared m salt [ iiator, and all oiu foou destioyed Wo did i . kill the seals, and wo used some of them for C bait" i ' ■ Mr. Mays discounted the stanation ac h:coimt, .Jiowovor, .and Detcctivo Hollis; who ! took the first statement, read out part of it, ;,, v. .v, in which it was remarked that tbo-seals wore 1/ V ' £ I, ! e J 1 balt in the.first place; lrat'thafth?y s i nnisjiod'np.by an- expedition-after the seals <?r:,-■-• Jikh clubs. A second, statement givon to 1 Dcteotivo Macmahoir was of a similar tenor-"-1 Mr. Dye?. • "Yes, but there seoms to bo 1 someMimg m it 'It appears that they Lilldd • the seals for bait."':. • - .1 ■ . Detective Macmahon remarked that Ritchie had explained that they ato some' of the eoals, and took off their skins, n Inch they hung; lip to dry. j■ ; Mi., Mays suggested,that a telegram should' ! ' :.vM;Scnt to Wellington to enable further m--5:. quirjes, and tlia magistrate ultimately de--5 cide<l to .adjourn', the ease until. Monday rmorning to allow of. tjio.communication '~to'bell made. i ' THE DECISION _ '■ S: (D 1 TELEGRAPH—ritESS .'ASSOCIATION-')' .M ; Auckland, February 1.0 '-v !v-; V' 'chargociv j.!'-.i having two..sealskins in; his possession-' 1-w-. v. • at tho Lascado River- in August of last year, l if. I ' ! ,'~i•.'iV , . a i ri^. haying-killed -a seal:about tho same' vj . J) l nM V. apmjared, at; the . Court- again .to-day-i- . Ihe case had'beeir remanded to allow of-in-quiries respecting' Ritchie's statement ithit .vV". ' avert-j starvation^-ij:•.-.of tho paity-of which ho made ono-' last 1 ' ' ■ i of: tiiOr. const-ablo /iu ! . charge of .tho Cascade. River-, district : was- ! read The constable wrote that Campbell.' - tho ono in command of tho expedition m v'/i ><■ question, was averse to killing "tho.-sealsj.'.but , ltitchio. persisted in tho hunt. Ritchie,' said ■ report,. killed- three : seals '-.and skinned, them. - .Tho carcases were left - below., high f water mark,- and the tido carried them out" l-v- to sea, and defendant curccl aiid took away. « t,vo of the■ skins'.-with hini whori'ho 'left' Cascade River:. J Tho: Magistrat'o s'aid :i lie did 'iiot feel satisfied altogether'with, the account that the seals were killed for foodj 'and,; on the •y-t'.i ■ other, hand, the act .certainly did not; appear to have been _ done,} for \ galn'.O ; '• as iv : :-.; though: defendant's :.'spo'rting - instincts had ' been too much .for him when tho seals ■ apV -." •, peared, much -as .'some■' unlicensed .nimrod V,--.: . Jnight- five .at a•■pheasantV-that /rosov.b'efore v.; hira.Under, tho' -he ' would ty/y deal leniently with ilio offerico, c6nvicting:ori - . V ; each charge, and inflicting a fine of £u and £,°i 3ts " n thc first, and qosts:biilf pii' the other. The fines ancl costs*,: amounted =m all to £5" 16s„: moiiths - in which to pay. . : .- . .