3000 Pheasants Needed In North

Northern Advocate, 6 September 1947, Page 8

3000 Pheasants Needed In North

(Special) KAIKOHE, This Day. THREE thousand pheasants are needed immediately to replenish game bird stocks in Northland, delegates attending the annual meeting of the Northland Acclimatisation Societies’ Federation at Kaikohc agreed. The federation is prepared to pay above pre-war prices to compensate for higher/ood costs and is advertising throughout the Dominion in 'an effort to obtain birds from farmers and poultry breeders.

Although several small breeders in the North had aided the societies it was stated that shortage o£ poultry feed and difficulty in obtaining stocks of the right type of wire netting were fact.ors affecting the supply of birds for liberation and preventing new breeders from operating. Because of the shortage of birds the Hobson Society has voted for a closed season next year.

lay within 100 yards of a claimed stand. MINIMUM PENALTIES Seeking further protection against illegal shooting, the conference decided to ask that a minimum fine of £5 should be imposed for all offences for which no minimum was at present provided. No further progress was made in the question of altering the society boundaries to coincide with county boundaries. The object of the suggestion was to give shooters some certainty that they were shooting in areas covered by their licences. It was reported that the Whangarei society, after agreeing on the point with the Hobson society, had undertaken to discuss the question with the Bay of Islands society, but nothing further had eventuated.

Delegates decided that Mr S. W. Smith, M.P. for Hobson, should be psked to meet the federation to discuss the Government game farm at Rotorua and acclimatisation matters generally. MR PAUL PRESIDENT With offices rotating each year among members of the three affiliated societies, Mr F. A. Paul, Kawakawa, replaced Mr C. A. Morse, Dargaville, as president. A prominent personality in Bay of Islands affairs, Mr Paul was a delegate to the last Dominion conference of the New Zealand Returned Services' Association. New vice-president is Mr- J. O’Sullivan, president of the Mangonui-Wha-ngaroa Society at Kaitaia. Mr F. C. Gould (Dargaville) secretary of the federation, was appointed delegate to the New Zealand council. Other delegates attending the conference were : Hobson, Messrs L. E. Warmington, H. G. Massey, F. C. Gould, secretary; Bay of Islands, Messrs C. L. Cheesman, J. B. Graysford; Mango-nui-Whangarei, Messrs W. R. Crail, L. O. Gallagher and W. Culley. GUNS IN CARS Delegates supported a resolution which sought an amendment to the Animals Protection and Game Act, designed to prevent the use of motor vehicles for the killing of game. The suggested amendment proposed that it should be an offence to carry a firearm in a motor vehicle unless it was in a dismantled condition. A further resolution, which requested that an amendment should be introduced making it illegal to shoot within ’ 100 yards of a road, received the conference's support. To remove an anomaly in existing legislation, delegates also decided to ask that a regulation should be framed to prohibit pegging, or attempting to peg, a stand within 100 yards of a stand already claimed. The present restriction was only against shooting from a stand^which