GAME LICENCES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22412, 7 May 1936, Page 12

GAME LICENCES

TRAP FOR SPORTSMEN COMMENT BY MAGISTRATE .CONFUSION OF SYSTEM [BY TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] WAIHI, Wednesday Points of interest to sportsmen were raised in the Waihi Magistrate's Court to-day, when two Waihi sportsmen were charged with talcing and killing native game without lawful authority. Defendants pleaded not guilty. Senior-Sergeant W. Blake, who prosecuted, said defendants and another man had been shooting over Matakana Island on March 15, and had been approached by Constable A. Patterson, who had been sent to the neighbourhood on other duties, and asked for their licences. One man handed over a licence made out for his brother, and the other handed over an Auckland licence which did not apply to the Tauranga district. Tho third man said he had a licence, and brought it into the police station a day or two later.

Constable Patterson said that it was well known that Matakana Island was not in tho district for which the licences were made out. Both tho Auckland and Tauranga licences were for two months' shooting, but the dates of expiry were different.

To Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., one defendant said ho did not recollect whether any special places were mentioned in his licence, but he had since learned that an Auckland licence was useless on Matakana.

"It is about time things were brought down to some definite basis," said Mr. Levien, aftor inspecting the licences. "In one case a general licence to shoot turns out to be only permission to shoot godwit. One defendant says he has not done any shooting since before the war, yet the first time he does he falls into the trap of a system of different licences differently printed, differently coloured, and bearing different dates.

"The whole matter seems to hav#» beeu, as far as 1 can see, a chapter of accidents. There are certain features that lead me to believe that this is not a case of a man trying to get shooting for nothing, although, of course, the licence should have been read. The cases do not call for any drastic treatment, and I shall take the responsibility, in view of the confusion that has occurred, of dismissing them under section 92 of the Justices of the Peace Act. These licences are certainly misleading, and one of them, a general licence to shoot godwit, is quite erroneous." The charges were dismissed.