THE RABBIT PEST.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1092, 3 April 1911, Page 8

THE RABBIT PEST.

-POVERTY BAY DISTRICT MENACED. ." iliy.'MczraDh.—Press Association I ■ < Gisbornc, April 2. : For some considerable time the Poverty ; Bay district has .been menaced by a rab- : bit invasion, the post being in-groat numbers in \Vairoa, Opotiki, and surround- : ing districts. The efforts- of .tho East : Coast Babbit Board in ■ appointing in- : spectors. and largo staffs of men in . localities mentioned has dono a great .; deal towards keeping down the pest, but '. Inspector Turner, of Wairon, reported , recently that a rabbit. , was discovered-at : the back of tho Park Racecourse, three ; miles from Gisbcrr.ne. A reward has been offered for its capture, but so far resistless. A further report received a few ' days ago stated that a rabbit had bean teen between Hicks Bay and 'Whaugapa- , rpa, .some disiann* ny the coast, in .tho ■. locality in which rabbits have not ■ hitherto bsen seen. Some uneasiness.has ; l>son caused by the report, nnd in each r case stringent measures are being taken ■ of a precautionary nature. The Commonwealth Minister for External Affairs (M'r. Batchelor) has received advices from the High Commissioner (Sir George Reid) urging that Australian : exhibits should be on show at tho annual Royal Show of Great Britain, which will •bs'held this year at Norwich on Juno 2fi. The Minister' issued a special appeal to the State Governments to provide exhibits, with the result that New South "Wales has undertaken to send a collection'of re- . . preventative products after tho Sydney i .show at Easter. These■ will arrive- in' ; England a little late, but.will' still be of 1 some service as an advertisement. Western Australia has already forwarded exhibits. South Australia will not send : uny special consignment, but will ruaKo available her stock of exhibits now in h Icndon. Tasmania has deferred considcr- : ation of tho matter. Queensland is tak- : in? no action. No answer had been received from the Victorian Government ; when the last mail left.