FEES FOR GAME LICENSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10409, 6 April 1897, Page 3

FEES FOR GAME LICENSES.

TO THK EDITOR. Sib.—l should feel greatly obliged if yon would kiodly let me reply to the letter ol "Member of Council Acclimatisation Society," as regards charges re fees for gam« licenses. I must say that the tone in whicb this' gentleman (shall I soy) writes is auy< thing but gentlemanly. I did not explain mattert as fully as I ought to have done. ] am not a new chum in the licensing laws, as I may say for the last 18 or 20 years I have held a license to sell game, and surely I ought to know something regarding game laws. "Member of Council" says that the Acclimatisation Society did not raise the fee last year, but he does not say it was not raised from £1 to £5 for shooting and selling game to licensed dealers. II the Society did not raise the fee, was it not through their agency ? I believe they cannot make these laws, but they can recommend them to the Government to make them law. The Acclimatisation Society do not, I think, try to make themselves one with the public and the settlers. They seem like the dog in the manger. They will not have the gains themselves, only special ones, or let anyone else have them. For instance, there is Mr. So-and-So at Hamilton or Te Awamutu, he can have a license for a pound to shoot game, aud ask his friends to come and have a day't shooting; bat the poor cockatoo or the orchardist, where the game do the most mischief, and wants to defray the damage that these do, which is not trivial, he can have a £1 license, but it he wants to sell to licensed dealers he must pay £5. Now, this, I think, is very unfair. It seems to me that the game laws are only made for the well-to-do people, not for everybody who can make a few shillings. I can safely say that some well-to-do people last year were not above bringing in game under cover and giving them to both hotels and others, which is a great injustice to people who pay a license tti sell game. 1 may here mention that last year the license to sell game was reduced from three months to two months, so that I think anyone will see what a game , dealer has to make before he makes anything for himself, £5 being the license to sell. This only shows my argument is consistent with what I said regarding the telephone, and that is, if prices are raised iu such a matter in place of being rednced it mnst end in financial loss.—l am, hc. , Subscribes. Auckland, April 2.