DESTRUCTION OF DEER

Taranaki Daily News, 8 August 1930, Page 3

DESTRUCTION OF DEER

REMOVAL OF. PROTECTION. .'■ ■■ ‘' . . ■ ' \ . LARGER VOTE ON ESTIMATES.- ■ The placing of*- over. £20'90 more on the ' Estimates this yea r than u as’ spent” in the"destruction of deer In New JZealand, last year inay be taken' as evidence that'the Government will try to deal with the problem 'of deer control, according to Mr.' Q. W. Hervey, ■ secretary of the North Canterbury 'Acclimatisation Society, says .’the Christchurch ' Press.' ' ' . At the conference to discuss deer con- . trol’ held in Christchurch on “May'7 action was.-left' to .the Department of ' Internal Affairs. . Since?.then various areas throughout.the Dominion.in•■vvducli ; deer were formerly, protected ha,ve been thrown open. . “• This, means that,, more deer will be killed daring the coming year,” explained, Mr. Hervey.: “Last year the royalty paid for. their- destruction ; .was two shillings in thd unprotected areas and a shilling in those protected. Most of the districts, throughout -New. Zealand are. now open, but we do, not know yet whether the .royalty, .will be the same as for. protected areas last year. . . .. .. ‘ . Mr. G. D.. Mcllraith, chairman of the Deer Committee of the Acclimafsisation Society, said that the removal of the protection w.ould mean that much more-. would be spent in royalties, but he did not think'the increase would amount ,to £2OOO. It was probable tlpif : the . Forestry Department was going ■ to take additional measures to control deer., .Poisoning had been tried in some districts, but had . proved unsuccessful as salt, licks did not attract deer, in-New Zealand nearly so much as in America. In any case it was a method better left alone, and it seemed that the department, by throwing almost- all the districts open, and concentrating on the payment of royalties for their destruc; tion by shooting, hoped, to keep an effective check on deer.

The amount placed on the Estimates this year is £2690. Only. £360 was voted last, year, but £55 was spent. There is also an acount of £l5lO set aside for the destruction of wild pigs. A note in the schedule of estimates states that these two sums are to cover the expenditure on wild-life control within- State forests, including the bounty on pig-snouts, deer-culling and pig and goat extermination.