ECONOMY IN WRONG PLACE

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 25, 29 July 1933, Page 10

ECONOMY IN WRONG PLACE

A suggestion; made at a meeting of the North Wairarapa) Sub-Com-mittee of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society, that the society should economise by dispensing for a year with the services of one or both of its rangers, implies a low estimate of ranging. There never was a time when acclimatisation societies had more need, than now, to provide an efficient ranging service. Only a little while ago they were under accusation of being mere rod and gun societies, and it; was said that they had no thought for the native non-game birds. To this the Wellington Acclimatisation Society made reply by claiming, that all the pigeon-killing- prosecutions, in- the district were the work of its rangers. Who but ourselves (asked the society, in effect) is l protecting native birds and other birds from illegal taking? That plea, we' tjhink, has done more than anything else to nlake the gunless lovers of bird life- (who are numerous,, though inclined to be silent)1 tolerant of the acclimatisation society regime, or at any rate tolerant of those societies which, like Wellington, may claim with some reason, pointing'to results, to have an efficient ranging service. In so far as ranging constitutes protection of native birds, it is in line with the societies' claim that they are not merely rod and gun people; and any weakening of that claim means loss of caste in the eyes of public opinion outside the body of licence-holders. As long as ranging is efficient, any economy in that particular direction seems to be the last that a society should attempt.