RABBIT BOARD

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2584, 24 May 1923, Page 3

RABBIT BOARD

The provisional committee of the proposed Manawatu Rabbit Board met at the Council Chambers, Sanson on the Kith inst. to ascertain the number of signatures on all the petitions which were distributed for signature. Mr Woods (Foxton) was elected chairman of the committee and took the chair. Air A. Tv. Drew, County Clerk, explained that although the committee had done very well in obtaining (>ven more signatures Ilian he had estimated would he required on the county rolls at this time of the year there was always a large number of new names being added, and recently there bad been a number of subdivisions. Therefore it would be necessary to obtain some more signatures to lie on the safe side before handing in the petition. It: was evident, on going through the petitions, that from 80 to 90 per cent, of tiie farmers had signed, but unfortunately a great number of small holdings of from 1-acre to J-nero in area were in the rabbit board’s district, /find the owners were living in Feilding, "Palmerston North, Afarton, Wanganui, Wellington and more distant towns, so that this made it harder for the committee to complete their work. There was one feature which bad been encouraging and that was the small number who bad refused to sign the petition on being asked.

Although it will entail, the travelling of perhaps hundreds of miles to collect the remaining signatures, all petitions will be handed in to the County Clerk at the end of this, month when, it is hoped, a sufficient number of signatures will have been obtained.

It was mentioned that one gentleman who lias left on a trip to" England. would willingly have signed the petition, but instead he counts as being against the rabbit board because those whose names appear on the rate roll and not on flip petition arc counted as being opposed to the formation of the board. At llie conclusion of the meeting a vote of thanks was accorded Air Drew for the assistance he had given. A. vote of thanks to the chair concluded the meeting. If was decided that Air Drew should convene the next meeting after he had checked all the petitions.