SHOOTING OF GAME IN SOUTHLAND

Southland Times, Issue 24592, 14 November 1941, Page 6

SHOOTING OF GAME IN SOUTHLAND

DELEGATES TO INTERVIEW MINISTER A decision to send two delegates to Wellington to interview the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry) to try to get mallard ducks in Southland included in the native bag limit was made by the council of the Southland Acclimatization Society at its meeting last night. Drs A. F. Ritchie Crawford and G. B. Orbell were appointed the delegates. They v/ere also asked to discuss the game position generally in Southland with the Minister. The council adopted the Game Committee’s recommendation to write to the Otago Society pointing out that Southland licence-holders had been shooting mallard ducks in Otago on the £1 licence, whereas this was not originally intended. It was decided to ask the Otago Society if it was agreeable to this practice being continued, or if it desired to have the mallards taken off the licence. RETENTION OF 10/- LICENCE The chairman (Mr S. M. Macalister) said it was expected that the Government would want all licences raised to £l. As far as Southland was concerned this was not desirable as the Southland licence was only for native game. Mr D. Wishart said 90 per cent, of shooters would object to the £1 licence only. He would not like to see the council recommend such a change. There was only native game in Southland, but native and imported in Otago, said the chairman. It was the 10/- licence that kept up the society’s revenue.

Other recommendations of the Game Committee that were approved were that the season should be from May 2 to 31, both days inclusive, and that mallards should be included in the native bag limit; also that the numbers and kinds of game that would be taken should be the same as for 1941, but that all quail be deleted.