Untitled

Mataura Ensign, 18 July 1913, Page 4

_ The Stratford Acclimatisation Society has sent forward a remit' to the Acclimatisation Society Conference that the use of automatic guns be prohibited. When the remits were under consideration by the Council of the SouthLand Society last evening Mr Eustace Russell said that the Council had opposed: a similar remit at the previous conference on the ground that if a man wounded a thick or other/ game withi am ordinary gun hie could/not bring it down iand it got away to'die, whereas if he had an automatic gun it would be possible for hiim •fco bring down the bird and put it out of its misery. ,

The Council of the Acclimatisation Society last night discussed a proposal brought forward by Mr Stevens that it should import half a dozen pairs of erey-legged geese, which, he said, were stated tb be very wild, andi ladlaptalble to acclimatisation. The question of cost was mentioned and Mr Eustace Russell suggested l that they should write to the High' Commissioner first to ascertain. Mr MeCredie was of opinion that they couldl' not d ! o better than write to Mr Donne, who would do ■everything he could for them. It *wm finally decddted' to write to Mr Donne asking him to make inquiries.

The Magistrate's Court (over which Mr H. A. Young, S.M., presided) -was occupied l for threei hours yesterday in hearing an application by >ai single woman for the maintenance of her child from a married man, a resident of Waikaba district, who, she alleged, was the father of the child. Mr Bowler appeared for the complainant and Mr Cochrane for the defendant. There was a total denial of the charge. After'evidence for the complainant had been concluded Mr Cochrane asked that the information be dismissed on the grounds of the want of corroboration j® provided by the Act. The magistrate said there must ba corroboration and dismissed the case without prejudice with costs £2 '2s.

The Stock Committee of the Acclimatisation Society last night recommended) to the Council that 000 silver tegs be procured' and used for marking ,fish caught for stripping., Mr T. D. Pejirce said that the tags were! in two and were all numbered.: The larger one was fitted easily .with the fingers and was affixed to > the dorsal fin of the fish stripped. The smaller one was used like a, rig ring. He mentioned while on the subject that it would be desirable to recommend to all acclimatisation societies that they should mark all fish stripped. They would thereby be able to gather some interesting facts regarding the migratory habits of the fish within their distriot. The Council gave authority for the number of tag 1 ? mentioned to be purchased at a ocet approximating 14;' per hundred. >

The now badges which will'shortly issued to members, of the Now Zeala'nd police 'have now arrived in New .Zealand from Home. The badge, which constables will wear on the. helmets, will be of dull'bronze, larger thasm the one now worn, and different in'design. The design of the central device in the new badge is. tho monogram, N.Z.P. (New Zealand Police), the letters being elegantly interlaced, circled by a fern lea| on either, side, and surmounted by a crown. The badges to be won: on the officers' helmets will be the same in design but of rather better metal. A smaller badge will be worn on officers' caps, but the shape of the cap is to be changed. The new cap to be worn if) to be similar in shape to that worn by Territorial officers. No silver braid will be worn on the caps of offioers. Their' rank will be designated in the same way las .that of military officers -. The Commissioner will wear on his shoulderI straps a,crown and two stars jsuperin- | tendenfe will wear a crown; inspectors will wear three stars; and sub-inspect-, ors two'stans. Already senior sergeants wear a crown on the sleeve instead of four stripes, but no change is contemplated in: regard to -tie badge of rank of sergeant.

TT^ by the Gore HL B^? 01 <>f Qovemore for a IS montha in order wassistant, Mr W. T. Europe, there were only anc * Latin) at a salary of £275 per annua*. ATiffi" 1111011 to the preeeKt syswwrflwHotaig for Orowa lands vm Houso o! Representor rWW"®' ** *** F ' Man - QOT, M.P. (stated tiie Ome m '£ht draw a section at S po ' whereas another migjht .years without dirawing a secfaom Ttusvwas enough to dlrive a i^ 0 ! TBe oonaidered that special blocks of land) should be set apart by the Government for the " W)Be who were unsuooessful at ballots.

An amusing sidelight was thrown on yesterday s court proceed inga when a four months old cnild was paraded in court in order to prove the resemblance between it and its alleged father. The mother ran a finger across the child's eyes and eyebrows, stating that the resemblance was there and that anybody could see it. The defendant's lawyer pointed out that the defendant had a Soman nose and the child a pug nose. Complainant's solicitor retorted that defendant s nose had been broken, and it would be interesting to know how it had occurred. The titter that followed orderly suppressed by the court

In .the Magistrate's Court many ■phases of human nature are revealed, bonie witnesses are very voluble, others orecise in their statements, while others again, aire so nervous that they can scarcely speak. In a case heard 1 yesterday at the local court title magistrate advised 1 a young man,to takehis ■time, in order to overcome his nervousness and after this friendly advice, witness gave 'his evidence quite coherently. Later in the day a defendant in a case arose excitedly from his chiair, but his sokcitor taking in the situation pulled him to one side, and after pacifying him. prevailed on -him to resume his seat. " ]

At a meeting of the Southland Acclimatisation Society held last evening it was decided to reoomanend, "That the Animals Protection. Act, 1908, be amended (a) by providing for the issue of licenses to take or kill hares in any acclimatisation district at a fee to be fixed by regulation; (b) by making it an offenoe to carry firearms in any sanctuary, or to discharge! a firearm into a sanctuary; (c) by imposing a license fee of 10s for the right to shoot native game during the open season therefor" ; also, that a special fee of 5s be imposed on all persons carrying pea-rifles except those used under such conditions as may !x! deemed expedient. The committee recommended that the curator be instructed to obtain what casual labor, he required at Mataura, as the services <>f the ranger would be no longer available except at stripping-time or other exceptional occasions.

The local Methodist Church will observe next Sunday as Foreign Mission Day, and the oofieotions on that day will be devoted to missions. The Methodist Missionary Society last year expended' £43,165 in its work in the ■South S?as, 'and 1 is pledged to an expenditure of £50,000 for the current year. The society supports over 70 white missionaries, ana considerably more than 1500 native ministers, catechists and teachers in Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, New Britain, Papua, and the Solomon. Islands. ' ! The number of attached)' to the church is almost 150,000 and the work is constantly growing, Recently a mission ,in India in conjunction with the British Methodist Church has been undertaken, and proposals have been adopted l for a considerable increase in the number of missionaries and for a better equipment of Bill the mission, stations. ■■■msz&w««? At yesterday's meeting of the Southland Acclimatisation Society a letter was read from Mr D. Wilson, of Gore, Who wrote stating that he had a bush farm at Tuatapere. He had received word that men were trespassing on his sections catching opossums. He gave them warning and made a special trip to interview them. He found that two Tasmanians were catching the opossums and he had a chat with one. not letting him know who he was. The hunter said that he was a frushman, but had of late been catching opossums, and had sometimes got as many as 10 a day. Some of the hunters did not visit their traps for a week, and the opossums were left there for that period in agony. He also learned that cyanide was used to pojson opossums. Sometimes the dead animals were found with their young perched on their bar-ks. "It :.s impossible," wrote Mr Wilson, "to keep the men from trespassing on private land. I would not have known anything, but apparently two trappers had a disagreement. I think something should be done." letters were also read from Messrs John Kerr (jVinton) and Jas. Cormack bearing on the same "matter. After a good deal of discussion it was resolved. "That the whole of the Southland district be protected except during the months of May. June and July in each year." It was also decided toi communicate with the Government ac-l cordingly.

This oold weather suggests : a good warm oversoat and a. good warm over-, coat suggests one of Thomson and Beattie's tailor-madq. You can choose any material and any style and T. and B. will guarantee a satisfied customer every time. >

House to let. Cottage to let. Wanted, cook. Wanted, general. For rale, cenfeotionerv busine-s. Additional entrWto'Gore stook i'a!e. T (I-:. (•. !..r>;x, U :r,h fc-.w* on August 16. N.Z. f '■ nd M.A. Co. hold clearing 9ale at \\ aimumu on July 29.

Immense stock of Gift* of Jewelry Silverware, Brushware, Etc., of all km da and prices at 25 per cent. OS asual cost for one month at B*k«r'a, next Bank of New Zealand.