THE OPOSSUM INDUSTRY

Hokitika Guardian, 27 October 1928, Page 6

THE OPOSSUM INDUSTRY

BIG FIELD ON WEST COAST. Although not as young as he used to be this particular New Zealander is still in the habit of doing things himyself. He is a well-known amateur mountaineer, and knows the back country of the Dominion-as few know it. While on a - visit to Dunedin he met,an Otago Daily Times reporter, who knew lum when the world was younger, and who asked him where lie had been lately exploring. The mountaineer was nothing loth to tell of his latest experiences. In Westland, he said, there were millions of acres of bush covered country lying comparatively idle. , One pioneer, however, has a legse of 57,000 acres of this land, for which he pays £l. per thousand acres per annum. At the present time he lias a herd of about 10,000 cattle, and has no regrets for having taken* up land in this district. It was of the unoccupied land that the mountaineer desired to speak. He thought if the breeding of opossums were promoted in this no man’s country it would lie a good thing for the Dominion. There are a few opossums there now* hut the colour of their skins is not the best, and the mountaineer considers, with others, that if the Government would permit a hundred or two of Tasmanian blacks, to be liberated there it would improve the skins.

He had been in Wellington a few weeks previously, and bad called at the office* -of the .Department of Internal Affairs to talk oyer the proposal with one of the, head officials. The official he met did not know, anything about opossums, but lie referred his visitor to the Tourist Department. Here- the mountaineer found an officer who did know something of the animal with the valuable's! cin. He was not, however, sympathetic to placing opossums in the. Westland arria—they would destroy the native trees. The mountaineer asked, if Dr Cockayne could be considered as an authority on tree life in New Zealand and the officer said that, of course, lie could. “Well, then,” said the mountaineer, “Dr Cockayne lias given it as his. opinion that the- opossums do not injure' the trees.’ 4 The ■officer shifted liis ground at once—there was the bird life: the opossum at the birds’ eggs. “No,” said the mountaineer, “lie does net. The* opossum is a vegetarian. Any way, there are no birds there—the Stoats, weasels, .and ferrets imported and safeguarded by the Government have’seen to that.” " . • The mountaineer was not getting very far with the official, arid he said that in the final issue ‘the fanners would probably try and’ import * and breed opossums tbemselvris. If ever they became so plentiful lib concluded, as lie picked up his hat. as to become a nuisance, all the Government had to do would be to lot them be trapped without restraint: > Their skins were so valuable that they would be hunted from dawn till dark.