The Lost Bridge at Clydevale and the Rabbit Pest.

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 11 March 1908, Page 66

The Lost Bridge at Clydevale and the Rabbit Pest.

TO THE KDITOft. Sn^— Clydevale is a curious plac«— % splendid agricultural district, delightfully ..situated with a magnificent stream; of water almost surrounefrnf • it, salubrious air, and the best of soil. The district, though possessing.oil. oil these advantages so rarely combined, is, "how-,, ever, on one side completely shut out from access to the outside world. The inhabitants, however, seeim a strange mixtur« of m«n of ' activity and enterprise and others of bucoho "fcthargy, contented to let life drift along dull leaden monotony. The Government past«d a grant of JESOO towards the construction of a bridge to connect Clydevale South with the Clinton side. This great convenience existed years ago, but a heavy flood claimed it. In the meantime several lives have been lost in attempting to ford th» river at dangerous 'flood times ; yet little or no interest »eems to be taken in this most impowmt work. Ar« more lives to be sacrificed? Is it necessary that a rabbit inspector should meet a watery grave before those in authority wak« from theor lethargy. This is hardly fair when we consider the increased work which has recently aparently fallen upon this civil servant by the late cutting up of the Clydev»le estate. Does it not strike thel reader as a» anomaly and require a huge stretch of the imagination to suppose that the late owner of Clydevale w*& doing more towards rabbit extermination than the combined forces of the present small hoiaers? Sir, no. fair-minded person would for a moment accept this «s true or reasonable. He will deplore the unnecessary oppression and waste of moneys in fines, if inflicted, which should have been appropriated to the cause in question instead of supplying grist to the court and serving no good purpose. The Clydevale settlers have only been in occupation a few_ nwnthß, and should have been allowed! reasonable time to deal with the rabbite. Had they then refused, the ever-loaded'' gun could, with a degree of justice, have been fired by -tl»« anzions officer. Zn ttat ia« the medicine would have been deserved. I know that by a few I siiall be denounced, bat let me remind these passive creaturee that resistance to oppression is the one thing that has made possible the progress o the human race. Had all men meekly obeyed laws made for their control in the ignorant and brutal past we would all be cave-dwellers at this very hour. — I am, etc., A Non-passive Rbsisteb.