HAS THE ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY DONE GOOD TO THE SETTLERS?

New Zealand Herald, Volume XV, Issue 5177, 20 June 1878, Page 3

HAS THE ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY DONE GOOD TO THE SETTLERS?

Sir, —Seeing that you have only made known a few words of my first letter on the above question, I have since thought more deeply over it, and, sir, I still say that if we, the settlers, had no stronger grounds of complaint than that of the pheasant, you then would not be troubled by the eomnion-sense portion of the settlers with letters on such grievances, so that under your present condensing policy you would be compelled to throw the bulk of them into the waste basket. Again, sir, I find it was Mr. ( T. Henderson who acclimatised the pheasant by letting them loose at Henderson's Mill, out beyond the Whau. Therefore, sir, I held that outside his land neither he, the Acclimatisation Society, or anyone else had any ciaim upon them except those settlers on whose land they may be found. And, sir, they who say that that bird does not partake of the cricket and the caterpillar havi; not written the truth. But, sir, I say that the shooting season ought to commence on the Ist May. Sir, the above body conferred upon the settlers a boon, by introducing the house instead of the hedge-sparrow. This boon will continue to be au eternal pest, so Mr. Bollard need not try to convince the settlers otherwise. He would be doing more good by advocating the system of draining our laud, and then applying lime ; for, sir, until such a system is adopted, we, the settlers, will never get rid of the insect tribe. I would entreat of the limeburners to consider that, except they sell unslacked lime at the kiln at Is per bushel, the settlers never can give their land enough to the acre so that it will prove to be effectual. They then would sell 50, aye 100 bushels for one that they now do. Then, sir, in the next place, the above body has acclimatised the hare without the authority of the settlers. Now, sir, ask any home practical farmer if the hare does the farmer in England or Scotland harm. He will tell you that they do much harm, but he will say tbut, seoing that they are tenants, they cannot help themselves. Now, sir, we all left our native laud that we might try to better ourselves. We do, therefore, implore you to be so kind as to shew that you are the people's true friend, iu using your able pen in helping to keep us from being ruled by a landed aristocracy iu this Britain of the South. In the next place, the above body has acclimatised the salmon. This they had a perfect right to do, inasmuch that our rivers belong to the Crown ; and, sir, let xia hope that when they will be allowed to bo caught, that they will not be so protected that the working-man Ciinnot have the pleasure of placing a salmon up<■•>. his table. And, sir, if the sai.l body have a der '.. j to shew that they are the working-man's* ' rue friend, let them prove this by acclim using the home herring. And now, sir, as to a gun-tax, monstrous ! Has not every householder a just right to possess a gun for self-protection ? Again, has not every cattle or sheep-owner a legal right to possess a gun so that he may protect his herd or his flock from ravening and prowling dogs ? Ido hope that such an idea will never be brought before our Parliament by any of our representatives, and if it should be, that the majority will shew their determination to oppose any such Act from ever becoming law ; that, as far aa they can, political economy shall be their guide in their legislating, so that the people shall be so ruled that they may become a happy and contented people. Sir, I, for one, do look forward to such a result from the present party in power. —I am, kc, l'ukekohe Valley. A. McDonald.