. Mutton birds and other birds . lings, nay, a few pence a year?Even taking into consideration the handling ofthe clip, so little is gained in income by theColony, so little by the ship-owners who carrythe few score bales of wool, so little by themerchants who handle the stuff, and fin all v solittle by the tenants themselves, that the leasingof these islands can be compared only to Esaussale of his birthright for a mess of potage, andthe attempt to farm them pronounced a fact is, of course, that the question ofmonetary return has been no inducement to theState. The idea has been t
. Mutton birds and other birds . lings, nay, a few pence a year?Even taking into consideration the handling ofthe clip, so little is gained in income by theColony, so little by the ship-owners who carrythe few score bales of wool, so little by themerchants who handle the stuff, and fin all v solittle by the tenants themselves, that the leasingof these islands can be compared only to Esaussale of his birthright for a mess of potage, andthe attempt to farm them pronounced a fact is, of course, that the question ofmonetary return has been no inducement to theState. The idea has been to assist the privateenterprise of individuals in risky and evendangerous ventures; and as- a back-countrysettler myself, I, at any rate, can have noquarrel with that motive. These leases have,however, been granted without due considera-tion, and, as before stated, sometimes at leastwithout even attaining their primary object—the benefit of the tenant. If then no benefitaccrues to the settler, and a valuable national PLATE B^iill ^^r Nest and Egg of Mutton Bird. AND OTHER BIRDS ^ Flora and Fauna is jeopardised or injured ordestroyed, then there is loss to each of theparties concerned, and the management of thewhole business must be termed a Ijungle. Stewart Island, the ishmds and islets of ourlong coast line, and esj^ecially the far southerngroups, are ideal sanctuaries for the preservationof threatened or i-are species. For this purposethe}^ could not be bettered. As pastoral tractsthey are a curse to theii holders. AVe areattempting, in fact, to use these islands for pur-poses for which they are wholly , however, concerning areas so large^so far apart from one another, and each more-over with its own problems and perplexities, canonly be of value if drawn from local knowledgeand experience. Such knowledge and experiencethe writer cannot pretend to possess, but, intruth, the matter is not one to be dealt with byan individual. It is only the consens
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidmuttonbirdso, bookyear1914
