WEALTH IN FUR

Evening Star, Issue 19617, 25 July 1927, Page 7

WEALTH IN FUR

OPOSSUM FIGURES A SEASON'S CATCH During the calendar year of 1925 (that is, the year ended December 31) New Zealand exported 151,280 opossum skins, valued for export purposes at £86,358, or 11s 4Jd a skin. During the calendar year of 1926 the quantity exported increased slightly to 151,519 (a rise of 230), but the export value fell to £72,801, or 9s 7d a skin. The above figures are taken from the import and export tables published by the Government Statistician in his monthly Abstract of Statistics (says the Wellington‘Post’). The export figures of quantity in a given . year may not correspond with the figures of tho registered catch, for some of those skins caught in tho winter may not have been exported by the end of the calendar year, or alternatively some of those exported in the calendar year may have been caught in the preceding winter. But if all the taking of skins is done strictly within the legal season (which opens not before Juno 1 ami ends not later than September 12, according to district), one would expect to find a tolerable degree of correspondence! between tho export figures and the registered catch figures, because tho dates mentioned indicate that between close of season and close of calendar year there is a period of more than three months—on the average, perhaps, live months—during which to ship the catch out of the country.

Tho last-mentioned argument would, of course, lose force if illegal trapping were carried out largely during the out-of-season months and. if illegally taken skins were cached or stored pending tho arrival of a safe moment for their stamping and sale. If such unlawful practices were widespread, the registered catch and tho export figures might bo expected to differ. Without attempting to judge that issue, it may ho stated right away that there does appear to be a tolerable degree of correspondence between tho figures of opossum skins taken—the number for 1926 is 157,480, as supplied by the Department of Internal Affairs—and tho export figures (151,519) supplied by the Government Statistician in his export tables. The difference is loss than 6,000; and the quantity of skins used within the country has to ho taken into accounts. OVER 150,000 TAKEN. The larger figure (157,480) is taken from the following tabic;—

On referring hack to the Government 'Statistician’s figures of value it will bo seen that each skin in 1926 was estimated to be worth for export 9s 7d. The trappers, ol course, would not got that price per skin. The dealer, it he has to pay is royalty per skin, pays the trapper accordingly. The above table indicates that in the Wellington district—which is tho biggest opossum producer of all, returning considerably more than one-third of tho total skins registered—tho average catch of opossums to each license taken out was 144. If tho average price paid to the trapper was 7s a, skin, the gross takings on a catch of 144 would be £SO. But .stri’/iig an average of 144 over the We/iigton district figures (58,868 skins, '407 licenses) would not fairly state the position of the export, fulltin/j trapper. No doubt some of the 407 license-holders did not give full time. A competent trapper would probably have taken not less than 200 skins, worth £7O at 7s a skin. In an ordinarily good season there must be a lot of trappers who get 300 skins, worth, say, £los—not a bad winter addition to a man’s income, in return for six weeks’ work in the wet bush. DIVISION OF REVENUE.

Tho trappers who arc now busy in the Wellington district, and who will tiap up to August 31, pay £2 10s license fee. At that rate the 1,051 licenses shown in the above table as for 1926 would produce £2,627. Tho 157,480 skins taken in 1926 would, at a royalty of Is a skin, produce in royalty £7,874, making a total, with tho license tees, of £10,501. Then there would be fines,_ etc., to add. The aggregate sum is halved between tho State Forest Service and the acclimatisation societies, alter deducting administrative expenses. In this way, according to gazetted figures, thcStato Forest Service and the societies each received £4,825 7s lOd. That sum was divided among .seventeen societies, and Wellington Aeelinuitisation Society received tho lion’s share (£1,822 19s). Otago came next with £728. Other acclimatisation districts that drew above £2OO in opossum revenue are; Westland £358, Nelson £304, North Canterbury £299, Grey £238, Wanganui £205. Will the 1927 figures ho as good, or will the catch of opossums bo lower than in 1926, justifying the unaccepted advice to have a close season this year? , •

Opossn ms Trappers taken licenses District. 1926. 1926. Auckland 1,796 1. Ilullcr <3,7675 39 Hast Coast 253 10 Grey 7,436 64 llaivcra ... 1,154 11 Nelson 11,921 33 North Canterbury 10,348 60 Otago 22,392 130 Hotorua 4,202 70 South Canterbury 733 G Southland 4,967 56 Stratford 543 6 Taranaki 6,334 34 Waimate 678 41 Wanganui 7,056 10 Wellington 58 isos 407 Westland 10,609 73 Kangitoto Island ... 5 IS — Kapiti island 1,130 — lignionfc Nat. Park 749 — Totals 157,480 1,051