RABBIT CONTROL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 85, 29 June 1943, Page 5

RABBIT CONTROL

PONGAKAWA BOARD MEETS,,

DEPUTATION FROM

RANGITAIKI

At the June meeting of. the Pongakawa Rabbit Board a deputation consisting of Messrs Jamieson and Law from the Rangitaiki waited on the Board to again discuss the boundaries' of the Rangitaiki area. While agreeing that the inclusion of the back country was desirable the deputation was of the opinion that the possibility of the additional cost of work on that area being loaded oil to the Rangitaiki swamp settlers would make it very difficult, if not impossible, to get the required number of. signatures to the petition.

The chairman pointed out that the original proposal to include the Rang'itai'ki area was to avoid leaving a strip of country only a few miles wide separating the Pongakawa Rabbit District from the East Coast Rabbit District. An inspection was made by Messrs French and Davis, who suggested a boundary. ■4t,, a later meeting it was strongly urged by Mr Watt that a large area of the. back country should also be included. After lengthy discussion Jirst by the full Board and then by a s,Lib-committee, a new boundary including- the - back country was agreed, to. This was submitted to the Department and with very slight amendment was adopted. The Department had gone to considerable work in preparing maps and legally defining the boundaries. The plans prepared showed that, the inclusion of the- Manawahe area where a petition had already been signed by about 80 per cent, of the ratepayers; the Rangitaiki area and , the country under discussion would add 345,000 acres' to the present Pongakawa Rabbit District ol: 115,000 acres. Mr Watt was still strongly of. the opinion that the back country | 3C included. The Boarti undertook to its decision to ratie the' ,ai'ea as originally defin-, ed not higher than Id per acre irrespective of the cost of working the back country. The deputation thanked the Board and agreed to carry on with the petition without delay, and then withdrew.