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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 209, 12 October 1878, Page 5

An idea is not easily given (says the Australasian of the 21sfc instant) of the extent to which the rabbit nuisance has spread in the north-west portion of the colony— the malle scrub region. It may be mentioned, however, as one illustrative incident that 2500 dozen skios were sent down by the storekeeper at Corak (north of St Aruaud) to the Benfcon mills, East Collingwood, last week. This was the result of three weeks' trapping. When sinking au artesian well, at Addington, near Christchurch, a four-inch pipe was being sunk, aud on arriving at a depth of 74 feet the rush o£ water was so great that a stone weighing nearly 1 1 lbs was forced up through the pipe to a height of 12 feet above the surface of: the ground. The flow of water continued the same each time the cap was removed from the well. The New Zt itander of Wednesday says: — When the second reading of. the Sheep" Hill came ou in the House yesterday, Air Seymour suggested that the measure be referred to a Select Committee of the House. His object in doing so was that the provisions of that Bill had been made so very severe by the Upper House that in many cases they would amount to absolute confiscation of property. Throughout, the whole tendency of the measure was of a very forbidding character. The fines imposed were very heavy, and the whole power of putting them in force was left to the inspectors. A person who held 50,000 sheep might be fined in a minimum penalty of £625 and a maximum penalty oE £12,000, and this because a single injected sheep might happen to get amongst his sheep from anqther fioclf. This, the sp( a'ter said, simply meant ruination to many sheepowners. Mr Seymour desired the Bill to go to a Select Committee to consider the advisability of a modification of the clauses relating to penalties and one or two other matters. On the question for referring the measure to a Select Committee, a majority voted against this course.