RABBIT PEST.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16986, 8 November 1920, Page 6

RABBIT PEST.

A "SEKIOTJS MENACE. (SPECIAL TO "TOE PRESS.") WELLINGTON, November 6. Some brief, but interesting remarks, were made by tho Minister for Agriculture (tho Hon. W. Nosworthy) this morning in the House of Representatives when moving that ti.e Rabbit Nuisance Amendment Bill be committed. • The Minister said he had brought the Bill down at the request of a number of people, and the principle of it was to allow owners of land to elect by ballot, if they so desired, to rate themselves for the putting down of tliis pest on ail ■ acreage basis rather than, as at present, on the valuation basis. The reason for this was that often the man owning the higher-priced land (who naturally paid the most taxes) had no rabbits to fiyeuk of on his place, whereas tue lower-priced land was infested with them. The pest In New Zealand, said the Minister, was becoming very serious indeed. In support of'this he said that in 1914 four and a-half million skins were exported, and this number had gradually increased until in 1918, eight millions were sont out of the country. The country had dropped two million siieep last year, and it was computed that in tho Otago district alone if the rabbits were exterminated, the land would carry another million sheep. The heavy expanse of dealing with this pest should justify tho House in taking the steps proposed in the BUi. Mr Malcolm asked for the repeal of the "un-British" provision under which a conviction could be recorded against a farmer for having rabbits on his property merolv on the report of an inspector. It was absurd to expect to put down the pest by inspection. He suggested that the Government should endeavour to have the cost of rabbit-net-ting lowered so that farmers could more generally use it. Members discussed the Bill on general lines. Opinions differed as to tho prosecution clausc, but the majority of speakers thought it was necessary to have the power, provided it was wisely exercised,» as it was at present. More netting was advised by several members. Others thought steps should be taken to suppress rabbit-fanning, and this could best be done by controlling the export of rabbit skins. The Minister, in reply, said that he rrtiite recognised the need for putting down rabbit farming by every means. "With the present high price of netting, it would not be fair to requiro more to be done in its use. Ho had instructed that no prosecution should be commenced without full inquiries by the 'Department itself and warnings to the farmer.

The motion to commit tho Bill was agreed to. In Committee, Mr Stntham moved a new clause taking from an inspector the position of absolute judge as to whether sufficient steps had boen taken to dostroy rabbits. • The Minister repeated that he did not Intend to prosecute settlers on the word of single inspectors, but he could not see his way to limit the powers of inspectors under the Act. He had the responsibility of facing a most serious menace and he was not going to give up one ounre of tho power ho possessed to deal with it. Mr Statham withdrew his amendment and the Bill passed with one formal amendment.