MANAWATU RABBIT BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2875, 24 April 1925, Page 2

MANAWATU RABBIT BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Manawn tu Rabbit Board was held in the secretary’s office on Thursday. Present : Trustees B. G. Gower (in the chair), W. E. Barber, E. C. Unifies, Glovn Grammar, Boswell and McKelvie. Mr D. R. Barron, Board Inspector, and R. Rangihouea (secretary) were also in attendance. An apology for absence was received from Trustee Flemming. CO R R ES PONDEN CE. was read and dealt with as follows : From the Manawatu County Council, stating that they had forwarded the Board’s letter re eradication of' gorse on to the Stock Department which is the only body that can enforce the Noxious Weeds Act. —Received.

For the Rabbit Board’s Conference forwarding draft minutes of conference. —Received. Accounts amounting to £l2B 4s ()d, .were passed for payment. Decided to pay up members travelling expenses at the end of the financial year.

Resolved to request the Stock Department to enforce the provisions of the Noxious Weeds Act ia the Manawatu Rabbit Boards district in regard to gorse. Decided that, a letter be sent tlie Manawatu County Council stating that the Board has requested the Stock Department, as suggested by the Council, to have gorse eradieted in the Board’s district and also to have lupin in certain areas declared noxious weeds. DEPUTATION.

At this juncture a deputation was introduced by Trustee Grammar, consisting of Messrs E. Beard and Waller, farmers of Rangiotu. Mr. Beard said his object in waiting on the Board was to find out the reason why the inspector had taken legal proceedings against him for failing to take the necessary steps to destroy rabbits. Mr Barron: I do not want to discuss the matter. It is now in the hands of the Magistrate and you will get justice meted out t<> you on Monday. Mr Beard : Yes and why shouldn't I in a court of law. What I want is justice from the Board. Continuing he said he had been one of the keenest advocates for the formation of the Manawatu Rabbit Board and had carried out extensive rabbit destruction long before the Board was in existence, and had continued to do so in compliance with the Board’s notices. As a result, he was now nhle to carry another ten cows on his farm. Ifc had never met the Inspector personally, and to his knowledge he had only once visited hi.-, farm. In October last he ceived a notice to destroy rabbits, and had carried it out. In January of this year he had received another notice, and that had also been carried out, and supplemented by an independent poisoning with “toxo.” He had also had a man engaged trapping rabbits and filling in burrows with kerosene tins. As a result the trapper was not averaging half-a-dozen pairs of rabbits a day off the properly now, and not two per cent, of the filled-in holes had been uncovered. TTe wanted to know if the action was prosecution or

persecution. Mr Waller’s complaint was on similar lines. The Chairman pointed out that the matter had now gone too far, and would have to be threshed out in Court of law. The Board could do nothing in the matter. The deputation then withdrew. INSPECTOR’S REPORT. ‘‘During: the past month I have been engaged in the general inspection of properties in the Board area. On a number of farms there is a decided improvement, attributable to efficient work being carried out in rabbit destruction. A number of settlers who have poisoned have obtained permission to trap rabbits, and the usual style of professional trapping is being carried out. It is very hard to convince farmers that it. will pay them over and over again, if they were to employ rahhiters and pay them wages, as it is only by this means that proper rabbit destruction can he carried out. One cannot expect ti man to work for nothing, and it is ridiculous to think that a trapper will work for nothing any more than any other man. If owners would club together and employ a man for every 500 to 800 acres of rabbity country, there would be no unemployed trappers, and both parties would reap the benefit. As things are at present, the farmer is lending the rabbit to the detriment of bis stock, and another man is making the profit. 1 have been sue-ce-.-Aul iti placing fumigators with -.o\on more settlors during the pa3t mouth, aud the recent supply is now mushed, ami a further batch will need to he ordered. During the past month, in eompauy with Inspootor Sutherland, of the Rungitolo Board, l made a joint inspection of several properties in the Board area, with the result that 1 have laid information against four farmers in the district for failing to take the tteeessary steps to destroy rabbits. These cases, owing to the Easter vacation of the legal fraternity, were adjourned from last Court day until the 27th iust., at Palmerston North. I intend sending out the circular re general poisoning tit the beginning of next week, and it will be necessary for the Board to say whether the regulations forbidding trapping should also lie sent out. Personally 1 am

strongly in favour of stopping trapping in the meantime, and taking full advantage of the winter months for poisoning. I would also recommend the Board to have the shooting of -.rabbits within the Board area made illegal, as apart from the danger of senseless shooters, the work of poisoning will he seriously handicapped if guns or rifles are to be indiscriminately used over the country. In conference with several Mangawhata settlers, who have done good work in the fumigation of rabbits, but whose efforts are being hampered by outside rabbits, the question of wire netting was gone into. I informed them that this had been brought before the Board by me on several occasions, and they desired me to ask members if the Board would be agreeable to subsidise them in the erection of wire netting. They were also desirous of keeping the rate at a fair level, so that this matter of wire netting could be gone into. The question of wire netting is a most important one, as without it no district has been entirely cleaned of rabbits. During the first- part of the coming month 1 shall he engaged in the general inspection of properties, and later or. in the month will follow up the poisoning due to commence on the Ilth May. The question as to tlm best method of eradication of rabbits was discussed at length. Trustee Glovn asked how farmers were to keep hares down if shooting "'as prohibited. Trustee McKelvie pointed out that no one could be prohibited from shooting hares in season.

Trustee Glovn contended that trapping was the best method of eradicating rabbits. Trustee Grammar spoke in opposition to the use of traps, and recommended the use of poisonod carrots. After some discussion, it was derided that the report he adopted, and that trapping be ceased in terms of regulations, for three months, as from issue of notices, on all lands to the south-west of Taikorea Road. A poisoning on properties north of this point to take place on .June Ist. Trustee Raikes voted against the motion.