CONTROL BY STATE?

Taranaki Daily News, 3 December 1938, Page 2

CONTROL BY STATE?

FISHING AND SHOOTING LICENSE FEE INCREASE Fishing and shooting would be taken over by a State department if acclimatisation societies could not handle them sufficiently well, stated a letter from Mr. F. E. McKenzie, president of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society, to Mr. H. J. Daigan, Wanganui, West Coast federation delegate to the Wellington council conference, and received at a meeting of the North Taranaki Acclimatisation Society last night. The sport must be continued to attract tourists to New Zealand, and there were local sportsmen to be considered, said the letter. At present there were three evils being suffered mainly on account of msufficient finance, continued the letter. The evils were insufficient ranging, failing to breed and liberate in sufficient quantities, and the lack of a bonus for stoats, weasels, hawks and shags. The suggested remedy was an increase in the cost of licenses to 30s, but it was pointed out that all societies must agree to the increase. A license would allow sportsmen to shoot over territory belonging co any other society in the federation. "If we do not move in this direction we will lose our status?" asked Mr. G. F. Bertrand. He did not think the Minister would go as far as that, said Mr. W. H. Moyes, chairman. The question was whethcr shooters would rather pay the extra 10s and have the larger amount of game which could be obtained from the increased revenue. If one license could be used in other districts it would be a greater incentive to buy licenses, said Mr. Bertrand. The licenses could be endorsed for any district under the scheme proposed, said Mr. Moyes. The association could lose 60 members and still obtain the same revenue at the suggested rate, it was pointed out by Mr. R. J. Neville. Costs of rearing and liberating birds had gone up to a large extent, said Mr. Bottrill. That appeared the chief reason for the increase in license fees being necessary. It would be useless for the North Taranaki association to hold out if all the other societies were agreeable, it was stated. If a resolution was passed agreeing to the increase it was merely a recommendation to the West Coast federation, said Mr. Moyes. If the federation opposed it it would go no farther. A resolution had been passed in favour of the increase at the North Island counCil conference. That the North Taranaki society make it a recommendation to the federation for the increase to go through was approved unanimously. All societies would be obliged to liberate an equal number of birds if one license was available for all districts, said Mr. Moyes, or it would become unfair to the societies which liberated a larger number of birds. A suggestion that each district should attempt to obtain an estimate of the revenue which would be available from gun licenses was received from the North Island council conference. Gun licenses instead of shooting licenses was an important question, Mr. Moyes said. It had been brought up by the North Island society previously. Means of obtaining. an estimate of the revenue obtainable from gun licenses were gone into. If the shooting season was to open on the first Saturday in May it would be possible to lose six days of the season, said Mr. Bertrand. Would the season close on a corresponding day in August to compensate for the days which would otherwise be lost? The society's delegate to the annual conference could be instructed to bring the matter up at the conference, said Mr. Moyes. There were present Messrs. W. H. Moyes (chairman), G. F. Bertrand, C. G. Bottrill, J. Darby, A. Feakins, C. G. Butcher, N. J. Neville, W.. Jarvis and T. Webster (secretary).