RAGWORT CONTROL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 264, 29 January 1941, Page 4

RAGWORT CONTROL

Sir,—l find I am another neglected individual who has to clean up a quantity of Government and Maori land adjoining liim from the poisonous and noxious weed called ragwort. A month ago I made application to the Laud and Survey Dept.i' for a quantity of sodium to do this work which has been done free by me every year in the past with a view to protecting my own property and I have not even receded a ply. I have neither asked for sod-< ium nor payment in the past, and apart from that I am ketpTng a neighbour's property in is at present absent.

Now, Sir, I would like to ask you what I am able to do in the future with one less hand on the place when neighbours opposite me clear a little along the front of their prcM perty (more or less) to dodge the inspector and are allowed year after year to get away with it. These properties this year are flowering abundantly, untouched —not a few scattered heads but acres and acresj of this highly poisonous weed and nothing is done, and there is enough, grown there to sow the whole of the Rangitaiki Plains and sow it well.

Last year the back portion of one of these properties all went to seed and no action was taken. I would like to know what is the use of i ! h/e County Council employing an inspector to see to this work when his notices are ignored. It is far cheaper for these pay a small fine several times a year than clear it and again it points out the weakness of the leasing of land let alone the Government's policy of a leasehold tenure for everyone.

[ What I want to know Sir is why ; persons > who have far more land than they can look after are allowed to take up more and then let the noxious weeds grow abundantly and smother out good farmers alongside who have sufficient to do without becoming their neighbours seedbed. Now Mr Editor: I propose that persons should not be allowed to go oh farming a property unless they* are prepared to keep down such poisonbus weeds as ragwort which are death to sheep and cattle, and that tliey should have it taken from them by law and new tenants put in. farmers of this* sort are a menace to the district, not an asset. Yours etc.„ "WORRIED."