ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 170576, 5 August 1921, Page 3

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

MEETING- OF COUNCIL. • A. meeting of the Count'd oi the Acclimatisation Society was held yestay• day. Present —.Messrs W. -Mcbnue (chairman), RuthertunJ, Pigott, Taylor, Penn, Hardcastlc, .May, Junes and YYigley. ' _ . The Paine Memorial was mentioned., and the chairman. said the Society nad Jnitided the money collected to the Education -Board, which did not appear to have done anything. The annual revenue front the fund would he. very little. , ~ . . A letter was read ironi Ashburton Society suggesting that a conference he heid to- consider malting a, pool lor the purchase oi\ __ heads. —it was agreed that a conference might do 11 lot of good. A circular from the Auckland toociety advocated the destruction ot hawks as a greatest enemy ot teatnered game. The Society, by paying Cd each tor hawks’ heads, obtained 18,(JC<) ,of them, and a great increase in.feathered game followed. They .were iinabic. to continue such expenditure, and the. hawks, increased again and feathered game decreased. The Society was now paying 3d per pair for hawks’ feci, and it. urged otner societies to do the same. The use- of strychnine was also recommended. Mr Bonn said there might ho. objections from the rabbit districts, as the hawks were believed to -kill a—good many rabbits. At the same time tiiey killed 1 birds in the season.

Mr Hardcastlc said the Otago Society some years ago paid out £2UO for shags’ heads, and it was found that most of them came from the dry, rabbit country, where there were no birds. The hawks followed the rabbits from place to place. Mr James said there were swarms of hawks about Lake Alexandrina swamps,

and they must get many young birds. It would be risky to set poison for them in such places, as the game birds would get it. Mr Bonn said they could fix a. bait where other birds could not get it—on top of a post or a rock, or a stack. It was decided to receive the letter in the meantime, and consider the subject later, on. An offer of quail by the -.Auckland Society was “received,” as funds do.not permit of a purchase. Mr A. “Wilson applied for permsision to take a dog to the Opihi reserve. There is a, regulation against it. Mr James, who. moved that permission be granted, said the huts were very different now from what they were when the regulations were framed.—The application w r as granted. Mr Gerald Casey was granted permission to transfer his hut to Robert Aitkeu. A leter from the Minister of Internal Affairs was I'cad concerning opossums being taken at certain places by the Department for experimental purposes.

The secretary stated that he had w-ritten to the Department that as tiierei was no licensed broker in this district, no opossum skins Juid been presented to the stamping officer in Timaru, and it was concluded that the skins taken here had been sent to other places for sale, and this Society was losing the royalty it was entitled to. —A letter in reply stated that 'the stamping officer had been instructed to keep account of tiie district of origin of the skins, so that cac-li Society snould receive its share of royalty. The mention of offers by members at last meeting to pay for 1000 rainbow trout each led to further offers, till these now number ten. and it was said that half as many more could be got. It ivas decided that the chairman and secretary should make all necessary arrangements for obtaining up to 1-5,000 fish front Clinton hatchery, the Emergency Committee to decide where they should be liberated. It was agreed that not more than 5000 could be dealt with in one consignment. It was stated that the fish were well grown —4in to oin long. Accounts amounting to £53 10s 2d wore presented for payment; the bank balance was £63 17s 9a. The accounts, however, included county rates £6 6s, which are not yet due.

In view of the financial needs, Air Pigott moved and Mr AVigley seconded, that this year no commission be paid on sale of licenses. It tv as said that business people would be willing to .sell licenses for nothing. Sellers last year are to be given the option of continuing the sales.

The chairman stated that he and four other members had been to Lake Alexandrine and planted lot) rooted poplars and 3UO willow roots. These when grown would do much to beautify tiio Jake, furnish some food lor fish, and later plenty of firewood. The party examined the spawning ground at Scott’s creek, and it was a sight worth going from Tima.ru to see. The spawning fish, averaging about 101 b and running up to 201 b, were so thick that it seemed there was no room for another, r 'bo spawning ground was too small, and it might be enlarged to some -xteut by the use of a scoop.

Air James added that they saw ono lish spawning at the edge nr the lake.

The lake has a rocky lott.'.n unsuitable for spawnings for which a gravid bottom is needed.

Air Pigott said it was only the later spawning that could have any result, as the later comers rooted up the spawn of the earlier ones.

A good deal q.f discussion took place on the use of the two huts within the .sanctuary at .Lake Alexandrian, and as a result, it was decided to' inquire oi the. Department what powers the Society possess regarding the erection of huts by private individuals. ‘lt was considered that the Society ought- not to allow anyone in possession of a gun to occupy the Society’s hut within the sanctuary during the shooting season, as the occupant would bo committing a broach of the law by being within the’sanctuary’ in possession of a gun. Mention was mad© of a report that a certain person proposed io take a small motor boat to the lake, and this was condemned all round the table.

Mr Ivtitherford inquired wlui.t tiimposition oi the Society is in regard to the Mount Nimrod reserve. Tile information was not available, and tho secretary said lie. would write to headquarters lor full information regarding au tlio Society's reserves. The ranger (Mr Leckie) reported on ranging rivers and sanctuaries. The rivers wero all very low, but some good fish could be seen in the OpiJii and Orari. The mouth of the Opihi had been blocked, and bad been opened by farmers. There .had been two convictions for poaching opossums at the Mount Nimrod reserve. lie had accompanied the chairman to cut willows and carry them to the hike, and assisted in planting 400 willows and silver poplars. Mr Y\ iglev said that when living over the lagoon on Tuesday he saw that it tas very full; some settlers’ houses seemed to be inundated. it was said that the further south the opening was the better for the fish, entering the river, while the neighbouring farmers preferred an opening as farnorth as possible. A discussion took place on the ownership of the Opihi reserve;, and the meeting then closed-.