PIGEON SHOOTING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8984, 18 July 1907, Page 2

PIGEON SHOOTING.

DEMAND FOR ITS PROHIBITION. fFKOit Ock Correspondent. J WELLINGTON, July. 13. \ brief discussion en the question of pi^pon shooting took place in the Hone© | of Representatives yesterday afterncon Sir C M. Gray had asked the bovernmont whether it would taive steps to crivo effect to the petitions presented to the House Last year for the anoHtion of tho brutal sport of pigeon shoot--111 The Government's reply was that them was provision against all sorts of cruelty to animals but the shooting of birds, which inflicted, in death, tho least possible pain, was not cruelty within the law. f Mr Gray said that the Government s reply did "not answer his questwm. It was the duty of the House to bring S nrii a brutal sport as p:geon shooting within the ©cope of the law, ard he hoped that the Government would take stem in the matter. The member for Hurt eaid that many snorts were more brutal than pigeon shooting. Stags were shot at long ranees Vith expanding . bullets, and sometimes escaped with terrible wounds, to die slowly in agony. Ihe duck-shoote.r fired into a flock of ducks and wounded twice as many as lie kUled. Hares and rabbits often escaped with wounds that meant long-drawn ao-onv. Trout weTe caught on 6teel books and played until they had no strength left before they vr«re gaffed and dragged ashore to die. There was no fi-nort entailing the killing of animals that did not mean cruelty, and he Vlieved that no oth^r sport was less C rvfo t^ißn Tvgp^n shooting. Sir Joseph ' Ward said that hie own feeling was that pigeon shooting should be stopped, but there were two sides to the matter. Very often pigeons were used for food after being shot, and the killing of animals and birds for food always meant erueltft-