Kiwitea Rabbit Board

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 29, 4 February 1937, Page 9

Kiwitea Rabbit Board

ACTIVITIES OF INSPECTORS. Tho ordinary meeting of the Kiwitea Rabbit Board was held at Kimbolton on Monday. There were present trustees J. W. Batchelar (chairman), W. L. Grice, A. Lawson, E. A. Palmer, W. P. Shaw and D. T. Couper. The chairman and trustee Grice were appointed ,-to represent the board at a conference of tho North Islaud Rabbit Board's Association, to be held at Feilding next month. Legal proceedings are to be taken for the recovery of all rates in respect of the current, year remaining unpaid after tho 24th February, 1937. Report for the Months of December, 1936 and January, 1937. The following report of activities during December and January was submitted by the inspector for the southern area: — Since last meeting I have been engaged in general inspection work. Early in December I renewed all statutory notices under both the Rabbit Nuisance and Noxious Weeds Acts. The rabbit pest is now at its maximum for the present season and I am pleased to say that over the greater part of my area there ■aro not quite so many as there were this time last year. However, there are more than there should bo on most places. During the late term, weather and feed conditions have been against rabbit work in general and it is only on that part of my area, where permanent rabbiters are employed, that, any systematic work has really been done, this system is continuing to prove far and away more satisfactory from our point of view than the spasmodic work of the individual settlers themselves. However I am hoping, with a spell of 3ry weather,, to get some good poisoning work done during tho early autumn. In-so-far as noxious weeds are concerned I am paying attention to the various weeds at their respective seasons and am pleased to report that fairly satisfactory work is being done on the majority of places, at the present time. Blackberry, ragwort, barbary and hemlock are being attended to and it is only in the hemlock that I find any tendency to show an increase, for while this weed is being slowly got under, where it was established in the past, 1 continue to locate new patches where I have not hitherto found it. The report of the northern area inspector stated:—Once again I must remind property owners and occupiers in my area that no statutory notice will be sent to them for the clearing of ragwort. It has been made an offence to have seeding ragwort at any period of the year and defaulters are liable to prosecution without any further warning and I must ask all owners to see that they keep strictly within the law. Clearing means destroying and it is an offence to pull ragwort that is in flower and leave it to ripen its seed on the ground which it is liable to do if the flower is far advanced. It is also an offence to keep blackberry for picking the berries and here again defaulters will bo liable to a prosecution. I appeal to all owners and occupiers in my area to do their very best to clear noxious weeds and 1 will bo very pleased to advise any concerned in the use of sodum chlorate.