RABBIT NUISANCE

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 108, 31 January 1935, Page 4

RABBIT NUISANCE

Wairarapa Farmers Want More Inspectors BOARD NOT FAVOURED Dominion Special Service. Masterton, January 30. Two alternative proposals for the destruction of rabbits in the Wairarapa were placed before a large and representative attendance of farmers from all parts of tha Wairarapa this afternoon. The meeting voted for an increase in the number of Government inspectors rather than for the formation of a board. The chairman, Mr. Hugh Morrison, said there were two dear-cut issues before the meeting. One was the formation of a rabbit board, embracing the whole of the 'Wairarapa, and the other was to send a. deputation to Wellington to urge the Government to appoint not less than four inspectors, to enforce the carrying out of the destruction of rabbits throughout the Wairarapa, in terms of the Rabbit Nuisance Act. 1928. Mr. A. Williams said that the area of the Wairarapa was approximately 2,000,000 acres, and while it might seem to many a large area to have under the jurisdiction of one board, he would point out that the Poverty Bay board controlled 5,000,000 acres, ami the Hawke’s Bay board 4,500,000. He suggested the levying of a rate of Id. per acre, which could be subsidised by Id. for id. by the Government. Natural boundaries were a big thing in the formation of a board, and he maintained that by embracing the whole of the Wairarapa they would have three natural boundaries —the Tararua range on the west, the ocean on the east, and a rabbit-proof fence dividing Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay to the north. He moved that a rabbit board be formed to embrace the whole of the six counties in the Wairarapa—the counties of Eketahuna. Mauriceville, Castlepoint, Masterton, Wairarapa South, and Featherston —the extermination of the rabbit pest to be undertaken by the board, and the cost to be defrayed by a special rate of Id. per acre over the complete area. “We all know that the rabbits have beeu increasing to an alarming extent, said Mr. Duckett. “If something is not done very soon, xye are going to get back to the position in which we were 20 years ago. This is a bigger problem than many understand.” “What we want is action, and action right away,” said Mr. James Andrew, in moving an amendment that a deputation should so to Wellington to ask for the appointment of not less than four inspectors for the district. . . Mr. J. Lord expressed the opinion thav under a board there would be greater coordination than would be the case if they had four or five inspectors serving notices. Mr. R. N. Barton contended that they would meet with unlimited opposition if they proceeded to form a board embracing the whole of the Wairarapa. A number of other speakers supported the amendment, several pointing out that the formation of a board would take about three months, and as immediate action was necessary, that lapse of time was most undesirable.- . The amendment was carried- by 51 votes to 32, and a deputation was set up comprising Messrs. A. Williams, J. W. A. Falloon. James Andrew. F. W. .Parry, J. L. Heckler, 11. Morrison. M. McLeod. D. McGregor, Howard Booth. R. X. Barton. and W. J. Thomas, with power to add.