HAWERA ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 13, 26 May 1880, Page 4

HAWERA ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

A general meeting of the Hawera Acclimatisation Society was held at Owen's Egmont Hotel on Saturday last, the chair being occupied by the president, Mr. J. Livingston.

APOLOGY.

The Chairman having read the notice convening the meeting, Mr. Barleyman read a telegram which he had received from the hon. secretary (Mr. Wanklyn), apologising for nonattundance, and stating that he was detained on business in Wanganui.

ANNUAL REPORT.

The annual report was tnen read, as follows : —

In presenting the first annual report, the committee have the pleasure of congratulating the society upon the success of its operations during the first year of its existence. At a meeting held at Hawera on the 22nd March, 1879, convened by public notice, it was considered advisable that steps should be taken to secure some organisation for the -county under the Protection of Ani- ■ mals Act, 1873, as the societies established at New Plymouth and Wanganui wet e too far distant to be of any material assistance in furtherance of the object in view. It was resolved to establish a •society for the above object, to be called "The Hawera Acclimatisation Society." It was resolved that the County of Patea Bhould be the district over •which the operations of the society should extend, and the rules of the Wanganui society were adopted. At this meeting, Mr. J. S. Caverhill, "was elected president of the society ; Mr. J. Livingston, vice-president ; Mr. J. Barleyman, honorary treasurer ; and Mr. W. H. E. Wanklyn, honorary secretary; and Messrs. G. McLean, D. Buchanan, D. Carroll, M. Hunter, F. H. Brett, G. T. Bayly, F. W. F. Lukis, F. Finlayson, J. Eobson, O. Hawes, W. Derrett, and J. B. Pearce, ■were elected members of committee.

The rules were forwarded to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, and in the letter by which the rules were accompanied, the president informed the Government that it was considered desirable that the County of Patea should be the territory committed to the care of the society.

A notice in pursuance of the Protection of Animals Act, 1873, was inserted in the Government Gazette of the Ist May, 1879, page 594, thereby registering the society as established under the Act.

Mr. Caverhill having been elected president without having been previously consulted, on being infoimed of the appointment, although desirous of assisting in promoting the object of the society, was not able to accept the presidency, whereupon Mr. James Livingstone was elected president, and Mr. George McLean vice-president.

During the period ending the 31st March, 1880, the society has received funds, from donations, subscriptions of members, and license fees, amounting to £84s 145., and the expenditure has been £69 Is. lid., leaving a balance of £15 12s. Id. There are, howevoi*, some other liabilities which will probably absorb this balance.

The committee desire to acknowledge with gratitude the friendly advice and assistance of Mr. H. M. Brewer, honorary secretary of the Wanganui Acclimatisation Society. During the year, 4200 young fish were introduced into the district, at a ■cost of £%7 10s. 4d. 1800 of them havo been placed in the Waingongoro river, from which it is expected the Mangawhero, a tributary thereof, will be stocked also. 200 were placed in the Waihi stream, 1000 were placed in the Mungamunga, and 1000 in the Tawhiti, both of which latter streams are tributaries of the Tangahoe ; the remaining 200 were lost in transit.

An attempt was made to obtain hares, but these could not be obtained either from Nelson, Auckland, or Christchurch, and many fear that the difficulties attending removing them were so great as to be beyond the present means of the society. From the best information the committee could obtain, it was considered that the streams south of the Tangahoe were unsuitable for stocking with fish, but subsequent inquiries have led to the conclusion that it is desirable to make the experiment, and to take the earliest opportunity of placing fish in all the streams south of the Tangahoe.

A question as to the district over which the society should exercise supervision has been raised, and as to the limit from within which the society should receive fees paid under the Act.

The Government seems to have re- - cognised the County of Patea as the , district for the society. The question has been referred to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, with . a view of having a decision, and a recommendation made, "That the • county should be made the district. * That licenses to kill game should only be current in the district of the society in which they are issued, but that in the event of any person holding a license to kill game visiting another ■ district, that an endorsement on the back of the license by a member of ±he committee of the society should give the license currency in the district of which he was a committee man."

The term of office of all officers and committee has expired, and it is for

this meeting to elect officers and a committee. By order of the committee. J. Barleyman, Pro Hon. Sec. The report was adopted. AUDITORS. Messrs. White and Bate were appointed auditors for the ensuing year, and they were also requested to audit the accounts of the past year. ADVERTISING. It was resolved that when the accounts were audited, they should be advertised in the Hawera and Normanby Star and Patea Mail. OFFICE-BEARERS. The former office-bearers were reelected, and the names of the following gentlemen were added to the Committee : — Messrs. Isaac Bailey, McCutchan, Southey, Lloyd, Wilson (Whenuakura), Tennent and Chadwick (Carlyle), Homer, and Brewer. A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the business.