ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13879, 16 April 1909, Page 7

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY

COUNCIL MEETING. A. meeting of the • Council of the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society was held in,'the Royal Hotel, Temuka, yesterday. . Present —Messrs G. E.. Hassell (president), W. H. Brown, P.Cbira, P. Foster, J. Ogilvie. J. Pringle, Dr. Hayes, and W. G. Aspinall, secretary. ' i 4: The secretary stated that the bal-ance-sheet showed a credit of £2IS 12s lid. an increase in the reserves of £l6O. The licenses showed a decided increase on last year, and the expenses had also been less, as only £l9l had been spent, as against £260 last year: The balance-sheet and annual report woidd come up for adoption at the general meeting to be, held in Timaru on the 29th inst.

The ranger (Mr F. Franks) reported having received 20,000 fry from the Hakataramea hatchery, of these 19,000 were liberated at Rainclifr, '•' in- the Opuha, and 1000 were -forwarded to Messrs Wigley and Thornley in the Mackenzie Country. He had watched the Rangitata carefully, and had noticed no poaching. On the 29th lie found a man fishing without a license at Kerrytowti, who gave his name as Hewitt, from Dunedin, and stated he had a license, but had left it behind. It had since been found that this statement was untrue. The Opibi. mouth had been opened at a cost of £2 16s; the river was in good order, but there was a great scarcity of big fish. Last season he had raised 40 mallard, which have been liberated as follows: —D. Taylor 3, McCully 7, G. McCullough 2, A. Kelnan 2, T. Gunnion 3, Dr. Hayes 4. One duck hatched out 14 on Rooney's Creek, and there are 19 flying about at the reserve. The road to the Rangitata had been repaired. There werexthree Widgeon ducks at the reserve, which had laid, but as there was no drake the eggs were infertile. The ranger was complimented on the manner in which he had looked after the ducks at the reserve, and it was decided to defer getting a Widgeon drake till 1910, which will be a close season for all native game.

The secretary stated that ho had made enquiries re the man Hewitt of Dunedin, but no definite information had been received from Dunedin as to his identity, though no man of that name had taken out any license in the south, as far as was known. CORRESPONDENCE.

The Department of Tourist and Health Resorts wrote, on behalf of Australian anglers' clu*<s, if it would be possible for New Zealand societies to forward stuffed specimens-of fish as a means for inducing Australian sports to visit the Dominion. The Department would undertake the carriage of specimens.—The Society could not see its way to spare any .of its specimens for the purpose named. Miss J. Cameron, Peel Forest school, wrote, stating she had purchased a license, and subsequently .fouiul.it'was for South Canterbury only. As her liome is in Palmerston South, it was of no use to her. Former licenses purchased by her had entitled her to fish all over "the colony.—The writer had been informed that her license held good for the colony, if endorsed. The Tourist Department wrote for information a-s to the best fishing localities in the South Canterbury district for the benefit of tourists. —The secretary stated that his time had been so frilly occupied that he had been unable to send the information asked for. The Department of Tourist and Health Resorts asked that a license be issued to Mr J. P. Roberts to net in Lake Pukaki, and also asked if the present holder of the license (Mr Coomhes) had the right to sublet to Mr Roberts. —Replied to, to the effect that so far as is known, Mr Coombes could sub-let if he was disposed to do so. Mr Shury, secretary to the Ashburton Acclimatisation Society, enclosed copies of his proposed amendments to the regulations as to the keeping of trout in freezing works or cool stores. -—Received.

Mr J. Rutherfrd wired a notification that he had turned out fish in the Tengawai/ Esk Creek, and Opawa Creek.

Mr Sage asked permission to erect a hut at the Opihi. —The permission had been granted. In replv to a communication from the Waitaki Societv. it was stated that the South Canterbury Society was not paying for shags at present, as the bounty did not seem to have the effect of lessening the quantity of shags. This question would be discussed at the annual meeting. • Messrs C. Williams, J. Rooney, J. H. R. Taylor, and L. Tozer were elected as annual members of the SoMr Ogilvie reported on the Society's house at the reserve, occupied by the ranger, and said that it needed a great deal of renovation, as it had become badly rotted in places, a couple of new windows were also needed, and the interior must be repapered. He estimated the cost of repairs at close upon £IOO. He recommended that the three back rooms be removed: the timber from them would be useful in effecting the necessary repairs • It was decided that the Council should go and inspect the premises before deciding upon what course should be adopted. . The matter of the weight limit, an important subject, was left to the annual meeting to decide, and any decision arrived at then may come into force next season. The Council then rose.