TARANAKI ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143767, 16 April 1912, Page 7

TARANAKI ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

ANNUAL REPORT. Tbs following report will be presented to the annua] meeting of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society to bo held in the Borough Council Chambers on Thursday:— As directed by the society’s rules, the council beg to submit to the members the thirty-ninth annual report of proceedings, finance, and the general condition of the society. In submitting the report your council have to congratulate the society on the progress made during the past year. It has been the busiest since the inception of tbo society, and it is to be hoped that the work accomplished will have a marked bearing on results in the future,. The members will recollect that at the last annual meeting it was decided to procure the services of a capable and experienced cuiator. This was done, and Air. Seale, previously of the Wellington Society, has been in charge of operations since April last. Mr. W. F. M'AUum generously leased, for a small rental, part of the old Frankley Road tannery property, as a site for a hatchery. Ono of the buildings has been turned into a batching-honse and all the necessary appurtenances for fish culture erected therein, and during the past season two hundred thousand ova were hatched and liberated in various streams in the district as under:—Stony River, 8600 rainbow ; Waiwakaiho. 13,000 rainbow; AVarea. 1000 rainbow ; AVaiwnranui. 1000 rainbow; Inglewood district, 10,000 rainbow, 7000 brown ; Tariki, 2000 rajnbo;v, 3000 brown ; Egmont Village, 2500 rainbow; Te Henui, 1000 rainbow; Hnatoki, 3000 rainbow, 3000 brown ; Mangoroi, 3000 rainbow; Mangamahoe, 3000 rainbow; Baker’s pond, Frankley Road, 125 rainbow; T© Henui, 3000 brown: Keri, 5000 brown. The society is now in a position to batch on a large and comprehensive scale. In a few years all the streams in the district should be fully stocked and kept so. The council met on nine occasions since its election in April last, and the attendance of members has been good. The fishing season has been rather disappointing, ■owing to so much bad weather. Fish have been fairly plentiful, and it is pleasing to note that fishermen report having caught rainbow trout in streams thought to be bare of them. In July last a meeting of delegates from the Taranaki, Stratford, and Hawera Societies took place in Stratford, when various matters of interest were discussed. It is proposed to make the meeting an annual one. The delegates were very hospitably entertained by the Stratford Society. Finance.—The revenue for the year was £l7B 11s 6d, which, added to balance (£l7 6s bid) carried forward from last year and cash in band, gives, a total of .£2OB 16s 6d. The expenditure has been £197 14s 9d, leaving a balance in hand of £ll Is 9d. Pisciculture.—Two hundred thousand ova passed through the curator’s hands —IOO,OOO brown and 100,000 rainbow trout. Hatching results were only fairly satisfactory, trouble having been met with through the excessive amount of silt coming into the hatching-boxes With the water used; - Better results are looked for in the coming season, as advantage will be taken of the experience gained in this direction. ' Game.—An effort is being made to push forward this section of the society’s work. Ono hundred eggs were purchased, but hatching results proved very poor. However, sufficient birds are now in stock to breed from when the proper season arrives, and a small game farm will be established, and eventually birds liberated in fairly numerous quantities. The society is indebted to DetectiveSergeant Bod dam for presenting us with two°brace of young birds as a nucleus for the game farm. Californian quail are now very plentiful all over the district, and pheasants are reported to be fairly numerous.

New Zealand Acclimatisation Societies’ Association. —Mr. J. E. Wilson attended the annual meeting of this body held in Wellington in August last as delegate from this society. Our society submitted the following remits for consideration, and it is pleasing to note that an Order-in-Comicil has been made giving effect to them .-—That an amendment of the Fisheries Act be obtained, providing for the payment to acclimatisation societies of fines imposed upon offenders convicted upon prosecutions under the provisions of the statute, in the same manner as fines imposed on convictions on prosecutions under the regulations of acclimatisation societies; that an amendment of the Fisheries Act be obtained, providing that all weirs and constructions placed across fishbearing rivers or waters, by local bodies or others, be provided with proper fish ladders or ways. Hawks’ Feet.—A fair number of hawks were destroyed during the year, and the society are. again purchasing the feet at 6d per pair. The balance-sheet is as follows; Receipts: Balance in hand Afarc.li 31, 1911, £l7 6s lid ; cash in hand March 31 1912, £l2 18s Id; game licenses, £B6 15s 6d; donations, £2 ss; refund discount, Is '6d ; ‘ fishing licenses, £B9 9s 6d—total, £2OB 16s 6d. Expenditure: Wages of curator, £72 ; advertising and stationery, £22 os 6d ; cost of fitting up hatchery, £26 9s 7d; receiving and distributing ova and fry, £l4 15s 3d; survey foes, £4 4s; subscription to New Zealand Acclimatisation Societies’ Association, three years, £6 6s 6d; purchase of fry,' year 1910-11, £7 10s 6d ; connecting Inglewood holding pond with borough water supply, £4 11s 4d; purchase, of hawks’ feet, £1 16s 6d ; food for fish, £2 18s 6d; expenditure on Pukekura Park ponds, 1910-11, £ll 11s; fines paid to PoKce Department for breaches of Fisheries Act, £2 0s 6d; delegates’ expenses to conference, £5; accident insurance, 10s; bank charge, 10s; sundry small accounts, £1 3s 9d; purchase pheasants’ eggs, £7 os; nettine and sundries for game farm. £3 14s” lOd; cement for AVarea holding pond, 17s 6d; postage and telegrams, £1 9s 6d; refund fishing license fee, £1; balance, £ll Is 9d—total, £2OB 16s’6d.

The statement of assets'and liabilities is as follows-.—Assets: Balance at bank, £lO 16s 9d ; cash in hand, ss; amount of claim duo on accident insurance policy, £7; batching-house, plant, and lidding ponds at Inglewood, Tanki, and Warea £80; two brace, pheasants and game farm. £3-total, £lOl Is 9d. Liabilities: To Tourist Department, for rainbow ova, £25; Alarms Department for brown trout ova, £25 17s 6d.; balance, £SO 4s 3d— total, £lOl Is 9d.