248 state Secretaries' Reports. [,sf April 



included a report by the State secretary on measures taken to 

 protect Finches. Action in this direction was taken, firstly, 

 because of the enormous traffic in these birds from the Northern 

 Territory — ^approximately 18,000, embracing eight species, were 

 inspected on the steamer Mataram at Brisbane during December, 

 and were prevented from landing here — and because of the con- 

 tinued activities of trappers. It was reported that bird-lovers 

 had caused several consignments of protected birds to be seized 

 in Brisbane during the last few weeks, and that in one case 60 

 out of a batch of 90 Chestnut-eared Finches had died for want 

 of attention before being found. The consignor of these birds 

 had, been prosecuted by Mr. C. G. Stevenson (secretary of the 

 Gould League of Bird-Lovers and of the Cruelty Prevention 

 Society), and had been fined £"5, with over £5 costs. It was added 

 that the police had issued warnings against trapping in several 

 localities, and that the Commissioner of Railways had given 

 instructions against the carriage of protected birds on the railways 

 of the State. The meeting approved. of the action taken, and a 

 resolution was carried asking the responsible department, before 

 granting permits of any kind in respect of native birds, to submit 

 applications to the Queensland branch of the R.A.O.U. (This 

 policy had already been followed to some extent.) 



Another report concerned the National Park of the Macpherson 

 Range. It was stated that, following a public meeting, repre- 

 sentatives of some twelve societies had waited upon the Minister 

 for Lands (Hon. J. H. Coyne) and submitted resolutions making 

 for the protection of the fauna and flora of the reservation and 

 seeking to have its development placed in the hands of a trust. 

 The Minister, in responding to the representations (which were 

 made to him by Professor H. C. Richards, Queensland University, 

 and Mr. A. H. Chisholm), assured the deputation that no destruc- 

 tion of -either fauna or flora would be permitted in the " park." 

 This remark, he said, applied particularly to the fauna. Trees 

 could be grown again, but once a valuable bird was destroyed 

 it was gone for ever. It would be nothing short of a criminal 

 act for anyone responsible to allow such a wonderful creature as 

 the Rufous Scrub-Bird to be destroyed, and he did not propose 

 to be responsible for such an act. 



Mr. G. H. Barker, the only Brisbane member of the Union to 

 attend the annual meeting of the Union at Perth, reported on the 

 business transacted there, particularly in relation to matters 

 with which he had been entrusted by a meeting of members held 

 prior to his departure. The chief of these subjects were : — 

 Safeguarding of National Parks, co-ordination of Northern 

 Territory bird-protection laws with those of Queensland, restric- 

 tion of the use of the pea-rifle, the establishment of State branches 

 of the R.A.O.U., and the establishment oi a scheme of member- 

 ship distinctions in the Union. Mr. Barker dealt with these 

 matters as fully as possible. As a corollary, the State secretary 

 was instructed to inquire whether the resolutions of the annual 



