KILLING OF KEAS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20263, 24 May 1929, Page 12

KILLING OF KEAS.

REVIEW OF POSITION URGED.

RESTRICTION ON BONUS.

DEPUTATION TO MINISTER.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, Thursday.

A review of the question of indiscriminate) slaughter of the kea was sought by a deputation arranged by the New Zealand Alpine Club and tbo New Zealand Native Bird Protection Society, which waited on the Minister of Lands, Hon. 0. W. Forbes, to-day.

The president of tho Alpine Club, Mr. A. P. Harper, said the deputation was willing to baso its caso on tho assumption that keas in some localities did a considerable nmount of damage. Ho was definitely of opinion that keas were by nature not rangers over a largo district, the custom being to confine themselves to tho localities near their breeding place. Between 1320 and 1928 the Government had paid out in subsidising tho killing of keas a sum of £7259, an average of just over £9OO a year. That, at tho rato of 5s a head, meant that during the last eight years over 29,000 keas had boen killed.

While not asking for protection for the birds, the deputation asked that sheepowners be permitted to kill birds as they desired, even to extermination, in those districts in which the owner of sheep found them destructive, but that any rewards for heads should be payable by tho shoepowners and not by the Stato. thus keas would bo killed only where they wero really destructive, and left alone where thev did no harm. Tho point was made by Professor Kir'k that some birds were killers, while others were not. to the representations, tho Minister said ho did not think there were two opinions about tho fact that keas killed sheep. On the question of subsidy it would bo understood that the Government did not want to make such payments if there was any way in which thoy could bo avoided. The claim mado by shecpowuers had been that keas were bred on Crown lands and that therefore tho Crown was responsible to that extent for keeping them down. Whenever it had been suggested that the subsidy should be discontinued, resolutions had poured in from local authorities and others declaring that it would be very unfair if tho Government allowed the birds to multiply and cause greater damage than had been done. Mr. Harper asked would it be possible to say that no bonus should bo paid in country that was not sheep country. The Minister replied that that was a mattor ho would go into to sco whether it was possible to fix the limitation suggested. Tho Minister promised to consider the points raised.