OTAGO ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19906, 28 September 1926, Page 6

OTAGO ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the council of (he Otago Acclimatisation Society was held last evening, and was attended by Messrs C. P. M. Butterworth (president), Rutherford Aburn, Hutchison, C. A. Wilson, Turner, White, Reid, Howes, Williams, Cowio, Stewart, Dodgshun, and Long. GAME COMMITTEE'S REPORT. The Game Committee reported that the Department of Internal Affairs had written regarding the society’s proposal to make the property of Mr E. J. Docherty. of Sutton, a sanctuary, and suggested, as an alternative, that this property be registered under those provisions of the Act which provided that the shooting of imported or native game be prohibited.—The council approved of the suggestion. The department wrote forwarding a warrant authorising the society to take mallard ducks from the Waikouajti Lagoon. In connection with a communication from the secretary of the New Zealand Accli matisation Societies’ Association asking for suggestions regarding the killing of deer, the committee recommended that the area in which the society recommended red deer to be protected be west of the ridge of the Mount Jones Range, from the dingle up to the Westland boundary, including the Hunter Valley and all the Makarora country from the Lakes Hawca and Wanaka and the Wilkin to the Westland boundary.—Adopted. ANGLING COMMITTEE’S REPORT. The Angling Committee reported having received a fetter from Mr Ford, Pembroke, stating that ho had about 150,000 rainbow eggs in the hatchery. The Hnwern Society had ordered 550,(100 eyed brown trout ova. Mr D. Urquhart, of Hawea Flat, had written regarding the planting of willow. The committee recommended that Mr Urquhart bo thanked for his letter and asked to endeavour to obtain weophig willow®,'as they would be much preferred. A later letter from Mr Urquhart, advising that he had taken on two men to plant 100 willows at 2s 6d per tree, had been received; Mr Urquhart to be thanked, and asked to carry on the planting ns long as the weather was suitable. In reply to a request from Constable Bandy, Raufurly, for fry for the Government reservoir, the committee recommended that 15,000 fry be sent when available. Mr W. Morgan, Port Chalmers, had written regarding shags on the Pomahaka River, and the committee recommended that Mr Morgan bo thanked for his information, and that Mr Duncan bo advised of what Mr Morgan had statedA The committee recommended that ' the sumo prize as last' year ho given by the society to the Bruce Angling Club for u fishing competition. Mr Long had kindly offered to give his prize again this year. That the two cel traps at Mr Wilson's bo sent to Mr Whelan on the usual conditions. That inquiry be made as to what had become of the fish in the aquarium.— Adopted; Mr C. A. Wilson mentioning that it was desired to stock the upper waters of the Shag River with Scotch brown trout for three years. GAME PROTECTION. Mr Butterworth said that in the Game Committee’s report there was a suggestion that in order to secure protection for the game on his land, Mr Doherty should adopt the course of applying to the society to have shooting of native and imported game prohibited on his property. .There was a clause in the Animals Protection and Game Act which empowered the Minister to declare a closed season for any game in anv specified area. During the next six months the Otago Society would, in all probability, liberate a considerable number of birds, both pheasants and chikkor. The future success of these birds would depend largely on the amount of protection that was given them for some years after they were liberated. Of the various schemes that had boon considered the one that, appealed to him most was that largo tracts of country, preferably portions of sheep runs, should bo protected for several years, under the powers which the Minister had under the Act. Ho would like to impress upon the members of the council the desir -.bility of bringing ibis plan before the public. Ho desired to appeal to those Innd-owucrs, or runholdors, who had suitable lands, and had the interest of acclimatisation at heart. He would like any land-owner who was willing to agree, that for a term of. sav five years, a largo area of his land should bo registered annually as an area upon which native and imported game could not bo shot by anybody. Ho considered that it was of' very great importance that the society should secure large areas of land and place them temporarily under protection. The scheme of establishing game birds successfully depended largolv on this being arranged. Mr Butterworth added that the society could not afford to buy land, and thero'was a poor chance for buds unless they could place them into some private area. . ~ Members of the council supported the remarks made by Mr Butterworth. GENERAL. In connection with pheasants, Mr Turner mentioned that it, had been proposed to get a number from the North Island, but the proposal had not materialised. They found that the difficulty was to get people to look after the birds. People seemed to think that raising young pheasants was liko raising chickens, but such was not the case. No doubt eventually they would get somebody who would make a success of roaring pheasants. . , , . .. In connection with the fishing competitions, it was decided to offer a prize of Id pot* tail, flTid a, prizo of £1 for a catch of 250; the minimum for payment per tail to be 200. . , An inquiry was received regarding whether baskets obtained in an angling competition could exceed the regulation catch per day (25 fish), and it was resolved ihat the matter was governed by the Government regulations, which applied to competitions as well as to an ordinary day s catch.