FIGHTING THE RABBITS?

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 37, 8 November 1920, Page 4

FIGHTING THE RABBITS?

I AMENDING BILL BEFORE TIJE HOUSE THE POWERS OF INSPECTORS MINISTER ACCEPTS A SAFEGUARD The Babbit Nuisance Bill, which gives power to rabbit boards to borrow money and makes various other provisions for dealing with tho rabbit nuisance, was beforo the House of Bepresentatives on Saturday. Tho Minister of Agriculture said' tho rate of interest mentioned in the Bill was fi per cent. ! He proposed to ask Hie House to reduce that to b\ per cent. .The Bill was providing that Dy a vote of the people concerned the rabbit rato might bo changed from a valuation basis to an acreage basis. The collection of a rate on a valuation basis meant often that the man with a small area of highpriced land and few rabbits paid a big rate, white the poorer land on which the rabbits wore bred escaped lightly. The rabbit nuisance undoubtedly was on the increase. Tho number of skins taken had risen from about 4,500,000 in 1914 to 8,000,000 ill 1918. Mr. A. S. Malcolm (Clutha) asked for the. repeal of the law which requires Magistrates to convict on the. statement of an inspector that a farmer has omitted to destroy rabbits.

Mr. 11.I 1 . V. Hockly (Ilotorua) assured the House that the work of the inspectors had been of very great value in the Waikato. Some badly-infested areas had been cleared to a large extent by energetic poisoning under the direction of the inspectors, who were able and conscientious men. The use of wire-not-ting was also of very great value. Mr. Hockly said he had objected' at first to the very wide powers given to inspectors;But experience had satisfied him that the power/ was not misused, and that it was very valuable in dealing with the pest. No single inspector was allowed to initiate a. prosecution. Bach case had to be confirmed by another inspector, and referred- to the Minister.

Mr. W: T. Jennings (Waitomo) also thought that the wide powers given ttf tho inspectors wcro justified. He asked for measures to prevent the spread of rabbits on unoccupied Native and Crown land, which were breeding-grounds for rabbits in the King Country. Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Gisbbrne) thought better results were obtained if the rabbit boards did tho poisoning. They could do tho work better than individual landowners. The boards had power to deal with rabbits on Crown and Native land, and to make the cost a charge against the land. He suggested the advisability of prohibiting the export of rabbits.

Mr. T. D. Burnett (Temuka) thought, that the export of rabbits ought to bj prohibited. The Government had to decide whether certain land 6hould prod*uce rabbits-skins or wool.

"Tho rabbits arc la great nuisance down my way, but so are the rabbit inspectors," said Mr. J. B. Hamilton (Awarua). It was not a, fair thing that the word of a rabbit inspector should bo filial when a case was brought before the Court. Farmers had been convicted on the word of an inspector after they had produced absolute evidence that they had done .all they could to suppress tho rabbits.

Mr. A. Hamilton (Wallace) assured the House that rabbit-trapping would never put down the pest. The proper method was poisoning. The rabbits were competing with the farmer for possession of tho land in some districts, and if proper methods were not adopted tho rabbits would win. He urged that unoccupied land was a source of danger in rabbit-infested districts.

The spread of rabbits in the unoccupied Crown land of Otago was mentioned by Mr. J. Horn (Wnkatipu). The rabbits were to be found all over eighty miles of country. Tho Minister, replying, said that the cost of material was militating against rabbit-proof fencing. With regard/ to prosecutions, he had given instructions that no ono was to be prosecuted on. tho evidence of an inspector. Since then the complaints against the adniinwtratio.i had practically ceased. The whole question of dealing with the rabbit menace was much more serious than the majority of members appeared to realise.

When tho Bill was in committee the Minister moved to reduce tho rafe of interest payable on overdrafts by Tabbit boards from G to 5J' per cent. This brought the Bill in lino with' other Bills containing borrowing powers. It was explained tnat if the Government decided later than the rate of interest should be increased generally, the rabbit boards would be placed in the same position as other authorities. The amendment was agreed to.

Mr. Lysnar (Gisborne) asked that boards should have authority to destror rabbits, instead of requiring farmers to do the work. He 6aul that the board of which he was a menibor had dona the work very successfully without legal authority. The Minister promised to consider this point later. Mr. Statham (Dunedin Central) moved an amendment intended to withdraw the instruction given, to Magistrates under the 1919 Act that a conviction must follow if a rabbit inspector testified that a farmer had failed to destroj' rabbits. ' The Minister would not accept this amendment. Ho had given instructions already that no prosecution should b» undertaken until several inspectors had examined the ground. Many farmers had withdrawn the objection originally mado to the provision of the 1919 Act. Mr. J. Hamilton (Awarua) and Mr. A. Hamilton (Wallace) agreed that the position was satisfactory at present, but another Minister might order a, literal in. terpretation of the law. The safeguards ordered by the Minister ought to be embodied in the Bill. Mr. Hanan (Invcrcnrgill) supported this view. The farmer hnd no right to a trial at all under tho present law, since the case wan pre-judged. The Court had to accept the word of the rabbit inspector, regardless of any evidenco on the other side. - This point wag debatwl at some length. Tho Minister insisted that lie must retain the existing authority, which was required to combat a Eerious mc-nnco, but he promised that when the Bill went before the Lesislative Council he wouW. ask the. Leader of that Chamber to.propose the following proviso: Provided that no prosecution shall take place unless at least two inspectors have inspected tho'property concerned, nnd the reports have been sent to tho Director of tho. Department,' who shall decide whether a prosecution shall take place or not. The Bill was rend a third time, and passed.

CHINESE EGGS

EXCLUSION SUGGESTED BY . POULTRY-KEEPERS.

Immediate action on the part of the Government to prevent the importation of egg pulp from China was urged upon the Minister ot Aerieiiltnre in a question which Mr. L. M. Isitt. (Christchurch North) asked in tlio 'House of Representatives on Saturday. Mr. Isitt rend letters which ho had received from the President of the 1 New Zealand Poultrykeepers' Association ajid the Wellington Err Circle asking that such steps el ould be taken in the interests of the industry. It was stated in them that food was dear and in those circumstances if tlicy wore compelled to compete against the Chinese «pg producer the efforts of the Govcreiment to encourage (ho industry wultl not bo of much avail. They were ouilo prepared to have the Board of Trade, fix the prices of tlio eggs. The Minister (Hon. W. Nosworthy) said tliat he was prepared to give the matter full consideration, but lie could rot (rive a definite promise in the direction asked ll'itil he was satisfied that the ertorls of Hie Government to' induce tlio wheatgrowers of the Dominion to produeo enough wheat for Iho country's, needs had been successful. That was what had been at the back of his mind in taking no action so far.

Tho Railways Amendment Bill and the Shops and Offices Amendment Bill, as passed by the House of Representatives, woro on Saturday passed by the Legislative Council without discussion.