WELLINGTON ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Evening Post, Volume XLIX, Issue 99, 27 April 1895, Page 4

WELLINGTON ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

ye£bad. Thore had been a steady increase n tlie revenue for the last ton years. Tho otal receipts during the period named were £SU2; shoof.ng licenses, 42398; fishing icentea, 41670; contributions from kindred s cielies. 41367. This was a, record which til who had been connected with the Sooiety •night feel pioud of. (Applause.) Mr. J. E. Smith expressed the opinion hat the inoreaße in the fishing and shooting 1 censes was largely due to the stringent neasureß taken by the Society's Ranger, Mr. b\ Moorhouse, to pnt down poaohing. The report was then adopted A motion by Mr. W. B. Morris to reduoe the number of members of the Counoil from twelve to nine, with a representation of two 'or the Wairarapa district, was lost. A new rule was added, on Mr. Morris motion providing that if any member of the •ounoil absents himself from three oonmeetings without leave or without reasonable excuse, his office should become vacant. It was resolved to ask His Excellency the ■Jovornor to accept re-election as President. The remaining officers were elected as follows : —Vioe-Presidents, Sir Jas. Heotor and M ajor-Genen,l Sohaw (re-elected); Council, Messrs. W. H. Beetham, J. Bidwill, and J. Holmes (Wairarapa), Messrs. L. G. Reid, A.. J. Rutherford, C. B. Morison, W. R. Morris, J. E. Smith, J. H. Stringer, C. H. Tzard, T. E. Donne, and W. E. Pearson (Wellington). Major-General Schaw was elected a life member of the society. Tho Counoil afterwards met and re-eleoted \lr L. G. Reid as Chairman and Treasurer, Jlr. A. J. Butherford as Secretary, and Mr. r. S. M. Cowie Assistant Secretary. ! i , i > ' ' 1 - ■ > • ■ ' : ' , [ • 1 ) 3 t - > ; . ? s t b ; i . 1 r > - ■ t : t 1 •j 3 - r > ■ I ■ r , 1 ; I I i ■ r t , > i i i . r i 1 ! . I 1 i : i i [ . , • r i i i >

The tenth annual meeting of the above Society was held in the lecture hall of the Colonial Museum last night. Major-General Sohaw (one of the Vice-Presidents) occupied the chair, and there were 20 memberß present. The annual report mentioned that the revenue for the year ending 31st March last had considerably exceeded that of any previous year. The nominal credit balance carried forward was Is Bd, but the available credit balance was £35 17s 2d only. The total receipts for the year just past were -61133 17s Id, and the expenditure .£1062 17s 4d, leaving a credit balance of 470 19s 9a The principal increases were in fchoot-.ng licenses, from £348 to 4371 ; contributions from kindred societies, 4250 to 4278 14s 4d ; and fishing licenses, from 42C0 12s 6d to 4281 0s 6d. An effort had been made to induce' other societies in whose distriots red deer stags were shot to make the deer shooting season uniform, bnt nothing definite oould be -arrived at. The seaEon for this year in the Wellington district was curtailed from the Ist to the 21st April, the following conditions being added : —(1) That only three stags should be shot by any one licensee ; (2) That no stag should he shot carrying less than eight points on his antlers. It was to be hoped that the steps thns taken might be the means of preventing the wanton destruction of young stags, which has taken place of late years. One young hind had been liberated on Mr Matthews' property, and arrangements were being made for sending a yonng stag there also. Mr. N. Grace reported that the red deer in the Wairarapa were steadily increasing and spreading over more country every year. Although stags were numerous, really good heads were Bcarce, and it would be in the interest of sportsmen if the Society would proclaim a close season ior the next year or two. No opossums had been liberated dnring the past year, nor bad any definite reports been received as to those already turned oat. Young ones had been seen near Paraparaumu, and the Council had no donbt of the ultimate suocess of the experiment, which should result, as in Otago, in the establishment of these valuable animals in this district. It would be well to obtain further consignments of the black opossum during the coming winter. For the preservation of game a number of honorary rangers had been appointed in the course of the year, together with an additional paid ranger for the Manukau and Ohau districts. The permanent Banger of the Society, Mr. Moorhouse, had been indefatigable in his efforts to oheck poaching, and more oordial support than in the past had been given to the efforts of the Society's officers by many country settlers. So far the efforts to obtain a shipment of Virginian quail had proved unsuccessful, but enquiries were being made by an officer of the Postal Department in America with that objeot. A consignment of ducks, comprising Pochard, Gadwell's, and Carolines, received during the year were doing well, bnt so far no young had been batoned from eggs. The English mallards received the previous year laid a number of eggs, and a fair percentage of yonng birds had been "reared, and were in course of liberation in (suitable localities. . A number of sittings of eggs had been distributed among settlers, and the acclimatisation of these ducks -vas an established fact. The Hon. Secretary of the Society (Mr. A. J. Butherfurd), at present in England, had promised to select suitable birds of varions kinds to bring out on his return, inoluding specimens of the Elliot pheasant The birds turned out on Kapiti Mand were thriving^ and the thanks of the Society were due to Mr. Alfred Boss for placing the island at its disposal as a nursery for game birds. The results obtained from the experiment of rearing pheasants had not been quite as satisfactory as could have been desired Between 20 and 30 birds had been reared 12 of which had been liberated, and t ho balance would be turned out at an early date. This was a most important branch of the Society's work, is a glance at the number r.f shooting licenses would show, and it was hoped that the efforts to provide came for sportsmen would be continued The work of stocking tho rivers with Salmonidte bad been steadily carried on during the past season, and 883,300 fry and eyed ova. were distributed from tho Mouterton Fish Ponds. Thn quantify of ova taken exceeded any previous year, and reached the large total of 1,248,500, mide UP as follows -.— Fontinaleo, 64,000; Loch Loven Trout, 73,000; Rainbow, 40 500 n - Scotch Burn Trout, 10,000 ; English Brown Trout, 1,055,000; total, 1,248,500; which must beregarded as a very satisfactory return . The yield of ova from i.ond fish was fairly good, and hatched out very well, while the quantity colleoted from river fieh exceeded what had been taken any previous year. The rainbow trout were doing remarkably well at the ponds, and in the various streams in whioh they hal been liberated throughout the district. Experiments tried in the Auokland distriot showed they were easily established in New Zealand waters. From the numbers turned out in the Wellington distriot within the hist two years, they ahonld begin to give an account of themselves during the next angling season. Trout were increasing fast in the Forty Mile Bush rivers, and good sport had been got by anglers abont. Pahiatua and Eketahuna. In the Wairar.pa districts fish had been very plentiful and sport good thiß season. Private reports from Palmerston North went to prove that the tronthbsrated in the Pohangina and other streams were now showing up, and * a Z? promise of good baskets next year The Banger (Mr. P. Moorhonse) reported that, in consequence of the very dry weather, the pheasants had increased in large numbers, and he anticipated very good sport for the incoming season. Quail were not so numerous, and he attributed the decrease in great measure to their destruotion by stoats and weasels. Hares were very numerous in nearly every District especially in the Hutt County. The partridges liberated at Silverstream had not since been seen. Wild duck appeared to be very plentifnl in all the rivers and creeks, and swans were in great numbers on the Wairarapa. Lake and in the vicinity of tho L-'shthonue. Opossums liberated at Wainui and Paraparaumu had not since been seen, but he believed that owing to the good cover afforded them they would increase. Trout this season had been very' plentiful, and some good baskets bad been Beoured; their oondition, however, had not been so good, probably owing to the rivers being very low. A few rainbow tront had been oaught at Wainui. During the year he bad had ten cmbb of poaching — three for shooting game out of season and seven for spearing, netting, and shooting tront. In eaoh casa conviotion followed. The Chairman moved the adoption of the report, the motion being seoonded by Mr. L. «*. Beid, who congratulated the 3ooietyupon "• snooeufnl year, whioh was the best it