ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6177, 8 April 1907, Page 6

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY

DEPUTATION TO DR FINDLAY. | AN IMPORTANT QUESTION. | On Saturday morning a deputation 1 from the Palmerston North Acclimatisa- j ( ion Society waited on tho Hon. Dr j Findlay, Colonial Secretary, to ask hi", assistance in their efforts to induce the Government to bring about a secession of that branch from the principal, or Wellington, branch The deputation was introduced by Mr W. T. Mood, M.H.R. , It was alleged that under the present amalgamation thr society at Palmer, ston North suffered many disadvantages, and it was claimed that the only way for tbe Palmerston society to overcome these was to separate from the Wellington society. The Palmerston North branch, tho deputation stated, paid annually to tho Wellington head the sum of £2OO, and out of this sum it got last year only about £IOO. As another instance of the treatment meted out to them by the Wellington society, they complained that when ■ they put in an application to Weiling- | ton for fish a year old they’ got only : fry; and tbo deputation said it was 1 wanton extravagance to put fry in the Manawatu river, as it was immediately devoured by older fish. Nothing could work satisfactorily unless a severance from Wellington was cllccted, and if their application were granted they were prepared to stock their own rivers and provide their own game, and do everything necessary to improve matters generally. Dr Findlay informed tho deputation that their case would have to be a very stiong one before the Government would ho prepared to establish what would probably prove to be a very dangerous precedent. The difficulty that besot the Government was that those applications were pretty general, coming from the South Island, as well as tho North. Ho considered that if these applications were granted, it would bo extraordinarily difficult for tho Government to maintain any sort of supervision over acclimatisation matters, as it would have to deal separately with each body. There would soon bo so many societies that jiroper control would be impossible. He quoted regulations which went to show that (die application of the deputation would have to bo supported by a petition; and he promised that on receipt of any such apjdication and petition ho should give the matter very careful consideration. It would also bo necessary for the Government to obtain the views of tho Wellington society on the matter.