KAPITI ISLAND.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 46, 23 August 1911, Page 7

KAPITI ISLAND.

SANCTUARIES AND SCENIC RESERVES Bird and plant sanctuaries, and; the necessity for a general supervision of scenic reserves on the mainland, were' touched upon interestingly by the president of the Acclimatisation Societies' Conference (Mr. L. 0. Tripp) to-day itt ! his presidential address. His remarks had reference to the following remit on the order paper i— * That the Government bo request* ed to acquire from the natives any land forming part of. the Island of Kapiti, at present belonging to such natives, afld that the whole island bo'k#pt as a sanctuary for birds. I« referring to this remit, the Chair/nan said that the position now was th/lt a large portion of the island belonged it the Government, and a email portion to the natives. They must all be- awate that owititf to the increase of civiliea* tion and the menace of hawks, stoats, weasels ("and poachers," added a M*> gate), aiid poachers, the native birda were decreasing. Th© only way to pre-/ serve these birds wtt& to have island* as saflctuarfes aiid to have the birds Here. "I think," continued Mr. Tripp, "that the Government should be encouraged to form more sanctuaries both on* islands and on the mainland, and we should assist them by all means ifl- our power to preserve such eiMcbtiaries," The speaker quoted from! * speech, of Lord Oflslow made in 1892, i/tu"d Oiwlow had interested himself itt the question, of jrteserving and fostering the indigenous flora, *ad fauna., and hk words of encouragement and exhortation then applied equally well to-day. Th© necessity for mow ccoperatiofl was emphasised by the fact that the nativoi bird* were decreadug every ye&t. Reference was made to ttte eetabltebineftt by th& Government of the proclaimed Bane Umnee on lAHAe S*rrier and Resolution JfiliMids, while it had acquired a. ports**' of Kapiti. Scenic reserve had been, a-ttd Simula be, settled on ths mttintend, and with refereae© to such nesefvee, M* 1 , fripp paid the Government should doi *fifj»rthiflg morn tha-fl merely eet acid« 1 !^w places. Canefakers should b© ap* pointed to look after them. Se had .wn I'eeerves wh^re fh^e started careless\y or otherwise, had sfaept through, loing great damage, and when, the fences were d«troyed, settfer* adjoinii^{ at t.'ffles would not scruple to allow their stock to waflder on the creeervee. Where I poftsibk th« Go7ernni6n* «h<mld see to it that- the Mftervee wore securely fenced And protected, and it Wfts neceßs^ tfevt these places should have the supervision of a caretaker, or at I«a«6 have an* ©ya' i.ept on them. In this connection the eocietiea c«tdd «llow thfir r«ag«rs to ;i'.«tPfr th«r Government.