OTAGO ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3882, 7 August 1928, Page 82

OTAGO ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

MONTHLY MEETING.

, meetin K of the council of the Otago Acclimatisation Society was held on the evening of July 30 there being present Messrs C. Baker (president), Rutherford, Aburn, Stewart, Cousins, Reid, C. Wilson, Howes, Williams, Cowie, M‘Dowell, Smith, Turner, and Dodgshun.

GAME COMMITTEE. The Game Committee reported having decided to recommend that no Californian quail be trapped this year; that Mr Collins s engagement should terminate on July 31 unless the manager considered it necessary to employ him after that date The fees for the 1929 stalking season should be the same as for this year, the season to commence on March 15, and cease on May 5. Prices should be obtained from cullers for the killing of 1200 old hinds in the Hunter Valley and a similar number of old hinds in the Makarora red deer forest. Several letters from the Department of Internal Affairs were received. Permission was granted by the department to sell some traps which were illegally set for catching opossums. The department regretted that it was not considered advisable to make any alteration in the present method of allocating the net opossum revenue. The council was thanked for agreeing to assist in obtaining information about the feeding habits of the pukeko. It was stated that Mr A. C. Nichols now wanted to kill deer on the homestead block only. The Southland Society wrote approving of the proposed bird sanctuary at Craigie’s farm near Gore. J. Buckley, Hawea Flat, wrote inquiring if the society would be doing any culling this year. R. Cockburn, Roxburgh, suggested that the society should import some more game birds. D. Thomas, Waikaia, wrote suggesting that a season of one month for trapping opossums was not sufficient for the Waikaia district.

The secretary of the Buller Acclimatisation Society ’wrote inquiring if the society could supply Canadian geese, and asking the price. The committeee recommended that the society should be • informed if it would be necessary first of all to get permission from the Minister of Internal Affairs to shift the birds; in the event of the society having a successful catch it W’ould consider if it could supply. —The recommendation was adopted. ANGLING COMMITTEE. The Angling Committee recommended that the chairman of the committee should accompany Messrs M'Dowell, Smith, and Claringbold to inspect other fish hatcheries. In connection with Ranger Pellett's report, the committee recommended that Mr Kitchin should be thanked for moving fish, and that the manager should get someone to shoot the shags on the Tomahawk Lagoon. Mr J. D. Collins had reported that he had been to Butcher’s Gully, but had not seen any Scotch burn trout spawning. The secretary of the Marine Department wrote notifying the appointment of Mr John Austin, Leith street, Dunedin, as an officer under Part 11. of the Fisheries Act. The acting conservator of fish and game, Rotorua, wrote stating that the Railways Department would not charge carriage on trout ova during the present season. A. Sharpe, Tawanui, wrote»stating that the firm had endeavoured to prevent sawdust from their mill getting into the Catlins. —Received. T. Gillespie, Hawea, advised that very few spawning fish were running in Timaru Creek, and that he thought the big run was in May last. R. Cockburn, Roxburgh, suggested that Lake Blagdon fish should be put in small dams, and that some English salmon fry should be put in Lake Hawea. —Mr Cockburn to be thanked for his letter. The report was adopted. GENERAL.

It was decided, in connection with the manager’s report, that an analysis of water from the Waitati stream should be made, and further that Messrs M'Dowell Smith and C. Wilson should visit Christchurch and Temuka for the purpose of inspecting the hatcheries there, with the object of obtaining information that might be beneficial in the erection of a hatchery at Waitati. The Under-secretary, Department of Internal Affairs, wrote in reference to the prosecution of a man, and the consequent confiscation of his gun by the court, that the Minister, after fully considering the matter, had directed that the firearm should be returned. The necessary instructions had been issued to the police.—Apparently what had happened in similar cases before had been that the forfeited gear had been sold at auction, with the consent of the department, and the letter was regarded as a complete departure from this arrangement. Tlie council strongly objected to this, and emphatically protested against the change of front. —If was left to the president to draft a suitable reply. The chairman expressed gratification at the fact that 1050 game licenses had been issued this season as against 879 for last year.