The Game Laws.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1839, 2 June 1886, Page 2

The Game Laws.

We have no particular love for game laws or game licenses, though possibly they may be necessary lor the sake of protecting imported animals. As the law at present stands it will be very difficult to convict any person for an offence under the existing Act with respect to game. The other day at the Wellington B.M. Court a man named Thomas Adams was summoned on an information laid by Sergeant Major Fair for having committed a breach of the Animals Protection Act by shooting a bare on the 24th instant, without being dnly licensed. Defendant pleaded Not Guilty. For the defence Mr FitzGerald submitted that the ease must fail, as the prosecution had not proved that the hare had been imported into this district. It must be shown that the animals had been imported into that particular locality in which the offence was alleged to have been committed. If they had been brought into an adjoining district and had spread from that source an action for shooting them could not lie under the ActIn support of this contention Mr FitzGerald cited a decision of Mr Justice Williams given in Dunedin in 1883, when it was held that proof must be given that individuals of the particular species of game in question had been imported into the district, and the mere lact that the species was not indigenous was not sufficient by itself to justify the conclusion that the animal bad been imported. Ur FitzGerald therefore claimed that the present information mnst be dismissed. Mr Gaily remarked that it would be absolutely impossible to obtain proof of the importation of any particular head of game. Hares and pheasants possessed considerable powers of locomotion, and could not be confined within a boundary line. It seemed to him that the case quoted was exactly in point, and he did not suppose the Bench would over-rule Mr Justice Williams’ decision. He would be willing to withdraw the information. The case was accordingly dismissed, and the defendant went soot free.