June 30.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1579

Bonus Payment on Deer-skins.

The Department of Internal Affairs proposes to pay a bonus on deer-skins coming up to specifications as set out below. Persons desiring to obtain payment of the bonus should first communicate with the Department indicating the stocks of skins on hand and the depot to which the skins can be delivered, when they will be notified as to the date on which despatch should be made. Depots will be established at Wellington, Blenheim, Hokitika, Lyttelton, Dunedin, and Invercargill. It is anticipated that within a month the Department will have finalized all arrangements, and the following conditions will govern the payment of the bonus:—

1. The bonus will be at the rate of 1s. 4d. per pound for skins coming up to requirements and delivered in dry and otherwise good condition to the Department's receiving depots.

2. The Department reserves the right to reject any skins on account of damage, excessive bullet-holes, foreign material, dampness, faulty skinning, drying, curing, or storing, or staleness, or putrefaction. Skins must not be cut, torn, rock-bruised, bleached, cracked, or have any fat or flesh left on them. The Department will not be responsible for dampness, putrefaction, or damage which may occur in transit to or storage at the depot, prior to examination by the Inspector.

3. Each skin must be marked with the name of the person submitting it in his own handwriting. (This can readily be done with indelible pencil when the skin is green.) Each consignment of skins must be accompanied by a statement (in duplicate) in the prescribed form.

4. The amount of bonus payable in each case will be based on the net total weight of all such skins as are accepted by the Department's Inspector as revealed when they are examined and weighed by him at the receiving-depot. Such weighing will be conducted in the presence of and certified to by the storeman at the depot.

5. The Department will not accept any skins the delivery of which is conditional on the prepayment of charges incurred in delivery to a receiving-depot, all charges for delivery having to be paid by the person submitting the skins. In the case of skins sent by rail to the depots, however, delivery can be taken at the railway-station if addressed to the Department as hereinafter prescribed, in which case the cost of cartage from the railway-station to the depot will be deducted from the amount of bonus payable on the skins.

6. Persons submitting skins should indicate their desire in regard to any skins which may be rejected. The decision of the Department's Inspector in regard to the rejection of skins shall be final. Such rejected skins will be held by the Department only for so long as to allow the sender reasonable time to take delivery of them, and will be held in the meantime at his risk and expense. Persons may, however, indicate that they are prepared to leave the disposal of rejected skins to the Department, and, where it is considered that such skins have any value, the Department will pay such lesser bonus as may be decided upon. The decision of the Department's Inspector as to the bonus, if any, to be paid on rejected skins shall be final.

7. All skins on which the bonus is paid shall become the property of the Department of Internal Affairs.

The following directions are issued for the guidance of those submitting skins:—

(a) Skins with more than four bullet-holes will not be accepted for payment of the full bonus, but may be submitted for a lower bonus. Damaged skins should be kept in separate bundles.

(b) The animals should be skinned down to three inches above the hocks and knees and up to the ears, and the tail removed. The knife should be used only for opening up the skin, all subsequent skinning being done by the hands and feet. In cases where, owing to faulty skinning or damage, certain portions of skins are considered to be worthless, such portions will be cut off by the Department at the expense of the person submitting them, such cost being deducted from the amount of bonus payable, and the remainder of the skin weighed after such portions have been cut off.

(c) All skins must be air-dried by hanging over ropes, wires, &c. They should be hung with the flesh side out, and the wire, rope, &c., along the backbone line (tail to neck). They should, where possible, be dried in bush, well-ventilated buildings, or other shelter, and they must not be left in bright sunlight after they are dried, as they are thus rendered useless by bleaching.

(d) Skins should be done up into bundles within a range of ten to thirty, each skin being folded double along the crease formed by the wire, rope, &c., along the backbone line. Each bundle should be addressed to the Department of Internal Affairs, care of the depot notified to the sender, and should have on the left-hand bottom corner on the same side of the tag the name and address of the sender and the number of skins in the bundle. Bundles should not be lashed with wire as the ends cause considerable damage by cutting and scratching skins. The minimum number of skins which can be accepted from any one person at any one time is ten.

(e) It is imperative that all skins be thoroughly dried before being bundled, and that they are kept dry thereafter. It is also necessary that the edges be unrolled from time to time during drying to ensure that putrefaction does not occur in such places. To this end, each hunter is advised to include one gross of spring clothes pegs (cost about 3s.) in his equipment, and these should be clipped on, three at each end, and one to clip the skin on to the wire at each end to prevent it from wrinkling by the ends creeping together. Drying wires, ropes, &c., should be kept tight to prevent skins from “creeping” and wrinkling. Immediately skins are dry they should be put under cover to prevent bleaching, and every endeavour should be made to prevent them from getting wet.

(f) It must be borne in mind that the continuation of this payment of skin bonus is entirely contingent upon the skins being marketable, and the saleability of skins is very largely dependent upon the manner in which they are taken and cured. It is, therefore, earnestly desired that all concerned will co-operate in the endeavour to foster the market by submitting skins in the best possible condition and of the maximum size that the size of the animal permits. The Department reserves the right to vary the conditions or price governing payment or to discontinue payment of the bonus, but prior notice of any such decision will be published in the New Zealand Gazette.

MALCOLM FRASER,
Under-Secretary.

Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 27th June, 1932.
(I.A. 25/36/95.)

Public Trust Office Act, 1908, and its Amendments.—Election to administer Estates.

NOTICE is hereby given that the Public Trustee has filed in the Supreme Court an election to administer in respect of the several estates of the persons deceased whose names, residences, and occupations (so far as known) are hereunder set forth.

Public Trust Office, Wellington, 27th June, 1932,
J. W. MACDONALD, Public Trustee.
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