RABBIT DESTRUCTION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 5, 31 July 1946, Page 5

RABBIT DESTRUCTION

PONGAKAWA BOARD CHAIRMAN’S REPORT The following report was presented by the chairman of the Pongakawa Rabbit Board, Mr J. N. Blaymires, at the recent annual meeting of the Board:— Staff In reviewing the operations of the Board during the' past 12 months, an examination of the Accounts for the year ended 31/3/46, and the Estimates for the coming year, will show the amount of work done by the Board.

During the year, the staff employed has been one Inspector and an average of ten labourers. Wages paid total £2793 11s lOd. Of this amount £349 4s was paid in tax, the balance of £2444 7s lOd was paid direct to the employees.

In November last there was an increase of 12/2d per week in the Award wage to rabbiters. The previous Award rate of £5 Is per week had stood for a number of years. Consequently, an increase in line with those granted to many other sections of workers, was to be expected. The increase was made retrospective to April 1, and as a result, upset our estimates for the year’s working. A limited amount of this was offset by a claim to the Agriculture Department, for the increased labour cost of work that had been done on Crown and Native lands. The justice of this was recognised, and the amount claimed was paid. The effect of this, and other increases in costs, is, of course, that less work can be done for the same rate collected, and this must be taken into account when next year’s rates are being struck. Each month our Inspector tables a report containing a list of properties worked during the month, the number :of acres poisoned, the number fumigated and the quantities of materials used. If the need arises, the amount of work done and material used on any particular property during any given period, can be ascertained by a search of the records and time sheets.

Co-operation Needed

Although a very large majority of land-owners give full co-opera-tion and assistance to our staff, and are fairly satisfied with the work done, there are occasional exceptions to this rule. Where a complaint of insufficient work done has been investigated, it has been' found in almost every case that inability or failure to remove stock to enable poisoning to be done, has been the root cause of dis-satisfaction. In this connection, it is the general experience of Rabbit Boards, that on places badly over run with rabbits, the land-owners are very ready to remove stock to facilitate poisoning, but when the rabbits are greatly reduced in numbers, the land-own-ers need to move the stock does not seem so urgent. From the Board’s point of view, the need to co-operate is still as great, or even greater, as the fewer the rabbits, the harder they are to get. . . In certain individual cases where stock have not been moved, and an excessive amount of fumigation has been carried out, the cost has been several times the amount of rates collected from the property. Such land-owners are getting work done at excessive cost to the ratepayers in general, and the Board cannot do much of its work on that basis. At the same time, it needs to be made clear, that any land-owner who considers that his property is not getting its share of attention, has the right to state his case to the Board, and may rest assured of a proper investigation of the facts.

From the Board’s inception, it has adopted what is known as the Killer policy, which entails the actual destruction of the rabbits by Board employees, rather than an Inspective policy, by which a Board’s Inspector arranges that destruction work be carried out by the land-owners themselves. The former is the policy favoured by the Agriculture Department, which is in touch with the operation of ail the Rabbit Boards in New Zealand. Projected Works When this Rabbit District was increased in area by the inclusion of the Manawahe, Rangitaiki and Murupara areas, the main weight of the attack was shifted from the original area, where the rabbits although by no means exterminated, had been greatly reduced from their former numbers, to the Manawahe area, which was very badly infested. One result of this has been that a continued reduction of rabbits in the original area, which had been hoped for, has not taken place. This was brought unmistakeably to the Board’s notice by a petition signed by 20 ratepayers and supported by a deputation from the original area,

asking that additional work be doneand if. necessary that the rate bo increased to meet it. This has been, taken fully into account in framing, the current year’s estimates, and. additional work will be done in the original area without any reduction, elsewhere. Expenditure This brings up the question of income and expenditure in the various parts of the Rabbit District. So far the policy has been to do most work where it is most needed. Consideration has been given to keeping separate accounts for separate areas. This can only be done at the cost of increased office expenses, and would entail a certain amount of clerical work by some of the outside staff. Both these things we are anxious to avoid. To spend the minimum amount on office expenses, and the maximum amount on. rabbit destruction is preferable. Further consideration of separate? areas accounts has been deferred* but will again be considered if thequestion of fairness between thevarious areas seems to warrant it. Before concluding this report, mention must be made of the staff. Maintaining an efficient staff is a major problem with many employers today. Much of our work has to be done under isolated back-block: conditions; in some cases living in. camps or huts, and in almost all cases living remote from shopping and social centres. Accordingly, the fact that we have kept our staff fairly well up to strength, and with a very fair degree of efficiency, is a tribute to the management of pur Inspector, Mr Davis, and a credit to all concerned.

For the Secretary, Mr Dukeson, and the Government nominee, Mr MacKenzie, it may be said that a rate collection of over 99 per cent., and continued harmonious working with the Agriculture Department* .re sufficient proof, of their efficiency* Appreciation must; also be expressed to all Board members for them co-operation, and time given in attending to Rabbit Board business.