PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3414, 20 August 1919, Page 6

PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

The ordinary meeting of the committee of the Otago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was held on the 12th inst. _ Sir George Fen wick (president) occupied the chair, and there were also present: Mesdamos Portcous and Edwards, Mifl3 Portcous, the Revs. W. Saunders and M. Diamond, Messrs A. Kilpatrick, W. Sligo, J. Brown, and J. Craig (inspector). The matter of alleged cruelty to penguins at tho Macquarie Islands which was before the last meeting of the committee, was again introduced.—The secretary reported that he had written both to Mr Hatch and to the Tasmanian Government, but so far he had received no replies.— Tho Hon. G. M. Thomson wrote stating that this matt or had been before the Otago Institute (of which he _ was president) and the New Zealand Institute for years, and quite reoently been the subject of correspondenoo with the Tasmanian Govern-

ment. The whole traffic in penguin for the sake of making a few pounds by the destruction of the birds wholesale was an aceuz-sed one, and any action the society could tako to stop tthe traffic altogether would bo welcomed by the institute.—The letter was received. Mr T. Durrant (Seacliffl) wrote enclosing a number of publications regarding the welfare of animals, and went on to bring under the notice of the society the extreme cruelty of the present system of rabbittrapping, the rabbits often remaining in the traps for a very long period. The writer expressed the hope that the society would ultimately be successful in petting a Bill passed which would mitigate to some extent the present system by shortening the interval before killing or by the compulsory introduction of a new kind of trap. —Mr Sligo said ho had on one occasion shot a rabbit which had lost both its forelegs through having been caught in a trap from which it had escaped.—The Chairman _ said tho letter opened up a very big subject and on 0 which would be very difficult for them to handle. —Mr Sligo said ho with the chairman. It would bo very difficult indeed to get the trappers to go round at short intervals. —Some discussion took place on the question of poisoning and tho best method of dealing with the rabbit pest, but it was eventually decided that the society could tako So action in tho matter. The inspector reported that_ he had spent a week in Invcrcargill organising and collecting, and his efforts had met with the greatest success. It > was evident that a strong centre was going to be formed there and that the people of Southland were going to support thp society very cordially. From reports which he had received it was apparent that the new inspector (Mr Harrold) was doing good work, and that he was showing a great deal of energy.