THE OTAGO ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23885, 12 August 1939, Page 19

THE OTAGO ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY

TO THE EDITOR Sir. —When the Government increased the cost of fishing licences from £1 to £1 5s we anglers were given to understand that one-half of the amount of the increase was to be spent on increased ranging, but the Otago Acclimatisation society Las not given effect to ibis undcrstenuinSi neither has there been. an increase in the number of convictions for Poaching. although most anglers know that poachers were out on some of our best streams two or three times per week from after Christmas until the frost stopped them. For the year ended March 31. 1935. th2 year before the increase in the licence fees came into force, the cost of ranging was £317 9s Bd. In the year ended March 31. 1938. the increase amounted to &Z\Z 3 S 9d. I have not the figures for 1937 but allowing the same as 1938 makes it £393 6s Id. In 1938 the increase was £223 5s 9d, and the ranger’s salary and expenses amounted to £393 os ia. For 1939 the only year when the cost of extra ranging is given separately, the figure* are as foilqws:—lncreace. £236 Is; ranger’s full time. £441 19s lid: rangers’ part time. £199 12s od. ■ If these figures be taken as a base, it means that the society spent none of the extra lew in the vears 1937 and 1938. as the cost of ranging for those years never exceeded the permanent ranger’s salary and expenses for 1939. nor was the cost verymuch above the 1935 figures when allowance is made for the rise in wages and exThere was also a credit balance of £36 9 S 4d for 1939. and so there should be a total credit balanc of £671 10s 6d in the extra lew funds. This amount is sufficient to pav the salaries and expenses of two extra permanent rangers for one year. This extra levy should be shown in the balance sheet as a separate fund It can easily be seen from these figiires that the Otago Acclimatisation Society is not “playing the game by the Otago Society does next to nothing about the eel. but the Southland Society has been waging war on the eel for two years, and _it is reaping the benefit already 111 feed supply as was proved by the tremen dous rise of fly on the Southland streams last season. If the Southland Society continues its present noaev the trout streams m Southland will make a wonderful recovery m the next two or three years. If the Otago Society had killed as many eels as the Southland Society killed last season it would have saved feed enough for 77.000 trout of 11b each This would have been about 30 fish each f°r the Otago licence holders. We cannot carry a large head of eels and tiout t- any given area of water any more than we can carry sheen and iabbits on the land without either sheep or rabbits decreasing. . The Otago Society’s game policy is also unsatisfactory The rearing and liberating of pheasants is a waste of money for the benefit of a privileged few. as not one shootist in 100 gets the chanceofa shot at them. It would be far better to spend the money introducing spme of the South American came birds, as the natural conditions under which they thrive are more on a oar with New Zealand conditions. I do not think that anyone expects pheasants to be a success in Otago.—l am. etc..