Small Birds Nuisance Act 1882
Small Birds Nuisance Act 1882
Small Birds Nuisance Act 1882
Public Act |
1882 No 14 |
|
Date of assent |
2 September 1882 |
|
Contents
An Act to authorize Local Governing Bodies to appropriate Funds and to levy Rates for the Destruction of Sparrows or other Birds injurious to Crops.
Preamble.
WHEREAS it is expedient to make provision for the abatement of the injury caused to crops by the undue increase of sparrows and other birds:
Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly of New Zealand in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 Short Title.
The Short Title of this Act is “The Small Birds Nuisance Act, 1882.”
2 Interpretation.
In this Act the word “birds”
means any birds not for the time being coming within the operation of any Act in force relating to the protection of animals; and the words “governing body”
mean and include any County Council, Road Board, Borough Council, or Town District Board.
3 Governing body may apply funds to destruction of injurious birds.
Notwithstanding anything in any other Act contained, any governing body may from time to time, by an ordinary resolution thereof, apply so much as it shall think fit out of its general funds towards the destruction of any kind or kinds of birds which, by their excessive increase, have become, or threaten to become, injurious to crops of any kind, for the purpose of reducing the numbers of such birds to such extent as may be necessary for the protection of such crops:
Limit of expenditure in any one year.
Provided always that the sum or sums so applied in any one year shall not exceed the amount which might be raised by the levy of a rate of three halfpence in the pound on the rateable value of any riding or ridings of any county, or on the rateable value of any road district to which such rate may be limited, or by the levy of a rate of one halfpenny in the pound, if such rate shall be general over the entire county, or by the levy of a rate of one halfpenny in the pound on the rateable value of any borough, or by the levy of a rate of one penny in the pound on the rateable value of any town district.
4 Moneys may be spent as may be deemed most expedient.
All such moneys may be spent, in such manner as the governing body expending the same shall think most expedient for attaining the object in view, within the limits of the county, riding, road district, borough, or town district over which such governing body has jurisdiction.
5 Special rate may be raised with consent of ratepayers.
For the purposes and subject to the limitations herein specified any governing body may levy any special rate for the purpose of raising funds to be applied towards carrying out the purposes of this Act whenever such governing body shall have received a petition signed by a majority of ratepayers within the county, riding, road district, borough, or town district over which such governing body has jurisdiction, praying that such rate shall be levied.
6 Where poison not to be laid.
No poison for the purposes of this Act shall be laid within a less distance than two hundred and twenty yards of an inhabited house.