250 
The N.Z. Journal of Science and Technology. [July 
another could not always survive, even though the conditions appeared to be suitable. 
It was one of the serious defects of our sanctuaries that no list had been prepared by 
any competent person of the birds which should be placed on any particular sanctuary. 
The value of Kapiti Island as a • sanctuary was marred by the fact that only half the 
place was utilized as a sanctuary, the other half being a Maori reserve. The whole 
of the island should become a sanctuary. Two things had happened at Stewart 
Island which indicated an entire lack of sense: deer and opossums had been 
introduced. He would like the meeting to carry a motion requesting the .Government 
to have the deer on Stewart Island exterminated. Opossums fouled the nesting- 
places of kakas, and he felt sure this had been the reason for the disappearance of the 
kakas from the slopes of Mount Herbert. He condemned the action of the Government 
in removing a caretaker from Resolution Island. Stricter regulations should be taken 
to prevent raiding parties from the Bluff proceeding to Stewart Island to “pot” at 
pigeons and kakas. Is was absolutely necessary that some education should be 
imparted to the children in the schools regarding our native birds. No amount of 
law-passing would prevent the pot-shot or the vandal hunter from shooting native 
birds. It was possible only to preserve these birds by education in our schools. 
Though all this might appear aesthetic, it was of immense practical value. Bird-life 
must interest a youngster in everyday life. The law in New Zealand at the present 
time was in a hopeless mess : it was a muddle from start to finish. Ih England the 
law provided that no bird could be shot during its nesting season, and that was the 
most important point in any bird-preservation law. Birds which were interesting 
from a scientific as w r ell as a popular standpoint should be protected. This country 
possessed no fewer than fifteen varieties of cormorants or shags — more than any other 
country in the world. On some rocks in Cook Strait lived a particular type of shag 
which existed nowhere else in the world. Yet these birds were not protected, and 
were the prey of every collector who could secure a high price for every specimen. 
The shags did no harm to our salt-water fish, but proved soft prey for vandal hunters, 
whole colonies in Stewart Island being murdered. Many of our birds could only be 
preserved for science, but many others could be saved for the public. An attempt 
was being made to make the Avon a preserve for wild-fowl, the finest in New Zealand. 
Auckland could make St. John’s Lake a similar reserve, and the same could be done 
elsewhere. 
Daylight-saving, by C. E. Adams. 
Press Notice ( Lyttelton Times). 
Dr. C. E. Adams, Government Astronomer, led a discussion on daylight-saving. 
He stated that life considered it would be a good move if they could persuade the 
Government to advance the time in the Dominion one half-hour all the year round, thus 
making New Zealand time exactly twelve hours ahead of Greenwich mean time, instead 
of eleven hours and a half as at present. Dr. Adams stated that this would help 
astronomers considerably in their calculations. He was a great believer in the 
rights of minorities, however, and if any such change were made the people in any 
geographical centre should have the right to say at what time they should commence 
work. This had been done in Wellington in the Public Service, where the employees 
for some time past had come to work at 8.30 a.m. and left off at 4.30 p.m. 
Mr. Tripp said that in any such change as that proposed the people to be considered 
were those who would suffer most. If the time were advanced the people in Otago 
and Southland would suffer. They would have to commence work in darkness. 
He would prefer to see the time altered the other way about. If a change were made 
it should be made for the whole Dominion—it would not work if local changes were 
made. The speaker considered the proposal a political one. The only complaint 
against the present system came from astronomers, and they were all good mathe¬ 
maticians, who could easily work out their problems under the present system. 
A letter was read from Mr. T. K. Sidey, M.P., urging the Congress to support the 
proposal, and adducing arguments in favour of it. 
Dr. C. C. Earr said that he did not think that a change should be made solely 
because it would be of advantage to astronomers. The position at present was that 
our day was unsymmetrical. Our business day was from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.—that is, 
four hours passed before the middle of the day and five after it. It would be better 
if they could regulate the day so as to have four hours and a half before and four 
hours and a half after the middle of the daylight period. The speaker said that he 
was in Australia during the “ daylight-saving ” period and suffered no inconvenience 
owing to it. One objection he heard raised to it was that the “ cows wouldn’t come 
in early enough,” and another was that the trams ceased to run too early at nights. 
Mr. Tripp had put his finger on the weakness of Dr. Adams’s proposal—the hardship 
it would inflict on the people of Otago and Southland. Time in Southland was 
