RAGWORT CONTROL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 48, 12 March 1937, Page 3

RAGWORT CONTROL

Our Own Correspondent)

Dannevirke County's Threats to Prosecute

(From

DANNEVIRKE, March 11. i At the monthly meeting of the Dan-; jxevirke County Council the inspector,; Mr. J. A Slater, reported verbally on .the subject of nozious weeds. He saidi that there seemed to be about three ■cases of wilful negligence concerning; iragwort. Some properties were so bad! .'that he thought the owners were pena-; I llised heavily enough as it was. Cr. A. B. Hansen: Is the ragwortj |hopelessly out of conttolf The inspector: "Practically so. Theyi ,are trying their best, but the places arei absolutoly yellow." He mentioned a| jproperty at Norsewood that was in ai '"terrible state." The owner had done[a little work, but not very much. Other iproperties mentioned by the ranger; iwere at South Makaretu, Te Eehunga. land Blairgowrie. It was not nccessary. jto give a personal notice regarding rag-; ;Wort, a public one being sufficient, but' la personal notice had been given in! cases of blackberry. i , The chairman (Mr. J. Peters) : It is aj •jquestion of summons or no' summonsJ •We have to see the thing through if wej are going to do any good at all. Cr. H. Fredrickson: Didn't we give the inspector power to take what steps are necessary? The chairman: Yes. Cr. Hansen suggested that it would not be a bad idea if the council, beforo iprosecuting, decided that the inspector jissue a typewritten notice to the per-l ■sons concerned to the effect that prose-i jcutions would follow if something was1 ,'not done to the ragwort within 24 or 43 ihours. The council would then have the satisfaction of knowing that it had .given the people full warning. The chairman (to the ranger): I sup•pose they have all had notices from jyouf , The inspector: Yes, Personally. ; j Concerning the properties thickly covjered, Cr. Hansen considercd that action ,in those cases should be left to the discretion of the inspector. The inspector said the year had been an exceptionally bad one for ragwort. He knew thi.t some farmers had been over patches three or four times. Cr. Hansen moved: "That beforo Court proccedings are taken a iinal warning be given to the persons concorned, with three days' notice." Cr. D. G. Grant seconding, the motioa was carried.