/24O state Secretaries' Reports. [,sfTn. 



South Australia. 

 I HAVE the honour to report that during the last twelve months 

 remarkable progress has been made in South Australia with bird- 

 protection. A new Act, called the Animals and Birds Protection 

 Act 1919 has been made law. The bill lapsed last session after 

 a stormy passage, which almost carried it through. Your repre- 

 sentative received the support of the Attorney-General (Mr. 

 Barwell) a,nd Mr. Geo. Laffer (Chairman of Committees) in 

 bringing the bill forward at an early date this session as a 

 " lapsed bill," and it received Royal assent early in the session. 

 We have much in this Act to congratulate ourselves upon, for it 

 is a great improvement upon the old Act. One new clause 

 provides that the taking of 'any animal or bird for the purpose 

 of being kept in confinement or in a domesticated state shall only 

 he done by permit. There are several clauses dealing with restric- 

 tion of the use of firearms and many other very useful protective 

 clauses. Each schedule (by the courtesy of the Minister) gives 

 both vernacular and scientific names of the bird, and the number 

 corresponding with that used in Dr. Leach's Australian Bird Book. 

 It is also arranged that each police station throughout the State 

 will be supplied with a copy of this book. A great many more 

 species of our useful native birds were placed on the wholly- 

 protected list. Another most important achievement is the 

 constituting of " Flinders Chase," Kangaroo Island, as a 

 sanctuary. For twelve years a great fight was put up by the 

 late Sir Edward Stirling and many others to obtain the reserve, 

 but with little success, but the final battle has been fought and 

 won. The board of governors is now being formed, and it is to 

 be hoped that a start will be made at an early date to save many 

 of the forms of bird and animal life on the mainland which are 

 threatened with extinction by the fox and other causes, by 

 placing them on an island which is so admirably adapted for this 

 purpose. The description of the " Chase " and the benefits that 

 will accrue from it in regard to bird-protection would need a 

 special article. Your representative has had a very strenuous 

 time in regard to the "Chase," and is still having one, for he is in 

 constant consultation with the Government and other governing 

 bodies to ensure that a strong board of governors should be 

 selected for the important work of developing the great reserve. 

 Your representative has had the honour this year to be elected 

 by the Government to the Advisory Board of Agriculture. This 

 has been the means of bringing him into close contact with the 

 producer and man on the land. The board has arranged numerous 

 addresses to take place in May to men throughout the State. 

 These addresses are given upon " The Economic Value of Our 

 Native Birds to the Man on the Land." It is most pleasing to 

 relate that more invitations are received by the Board than can 

 be immediately coped with. One of these tours arranged by the 

 Advisory Board has just been completed. The distance covered 

 was 700 miles, and I spoke at a different town every night for 



