DISTRICT NEWS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 18, 5 March 1915, Page 4

DISTRICT NEWS.

MERCER. The charge arising out of Anniversary Day celebrations against Clifford McAnulty for refusing to cjuit the Mercer Hotel and assaulting Sergeant Cowan and Constable Bevan was heard in the Auckland S.M. Court on Monday. Mr Lundon appeared for the accused and entered a plea of guilty. Mr Lundon stated

that the young man was ma I with drink at the time, this having been his first experience of drinking whisky, which appeared to have

been a particularly patent brand. Counsel produced testimonais from people of standing to the effect that McAnulty was ctdicarily a particulaily quiet and decent jucng fellow. McAnulty was prepared to make a generous restitution to theSergeant for the irjury sustuintd by Mm. Remarking that restitution to the Sergeant was a civil matter between the parties, His Worship convicted and ordered McAnulty to pay the Co3ts, £lB 3s BJ. KARAKA. A meeting of settlers, convened by Mr Ratty as chairman of the Karaka Road Board, wa* held recently in No. 2 ecboo], for the purpose of deciding on common aciion to be taken against the past. As showing the interest taken the room was crowded as perhaps it never was before, even at pditical met-tirgs.

Mr Batty, who presided, in the course of bis remarks said that all were agieed about the rabbit? being bad. He advocated piisoning simuKacecusly all over the district, Some discussion tcok place about the best poison to us". Mr Jamieson said that phosphorised p Hard was tin best as a genera! poieo'*, and the majority teemed to agree with him, though some preferred toxa, one speaker stating that he had a day or two before cou.ited 360 uead iabbits from four tics. Mr Johnston had ai:o found to<a very gocd. Mr Charles had used phusphorised pollard with good results. Mr H. Glasson said he had found phospho'ised pollard the best in a general way. The best times to lay it were when the grass was dry, usually in February, and again in frosty weather, when it should be laid the day it was mixed ard while etill warm. At other times hs hat': found it almost useless, st least when there was much green feet), toxa being preferable at such time?, thorgh even in a dry summer when phosphorised pollard would be taken freely, he had not had realiy satisfactory results from toxa. Lie had found "sbawtwo-k," a jam poison supplied by Manning's Pharmacies, Hamilton, to b2 very effective for cleaning up stragglers after two good poisonings with pollard. It had the great advantage that it was effective in a sir-am ci rain. There was r.ot much use for on?, settler to lay poison urless hia neighbours did so to. as the rabbits swarmed in on thv ek : an ground. Ivir Clifton, Chief Stock Inspector, estimated that 5 rabbits would eat and spoil as much grass aa a sheep. Call it six instead of, five and allow 0° rabb.ta tc the acre on paddocks carrying 2 sheep to the same area, a mode;ate estimate, we see then what tax we are paying. To realise how destructive iabbits ?\e one shoald try to grow fruit tre : s, ornamental shrubs, or vegetables. He learod poisoning wo'old not be so effective now Eg it would have been before the rai:i at the end of Jamifcry.

Mr Johnston said be found rabbits were still taking the pollard poiscn well. He had jast cleared them out from a flat where there was plenty of green grass. Mr Batty said it was advisable to remove stock before laying poisoned pollard.

Mr li. Ulasson ssid this was so where a plough furrow was used, or if th-o poison was laid un top of the sod. but he get over the diilicuity by making a V-shaped cat with a spade, and peitiing a pellet in cr.e of the angles. Sheep or cattle wouid not reach it, and the upturned sen brought the rabbits. Some of tfe company considered this method too slow. One speaker, from Australia, said that over there they U3ed a pointed piece of wood, something after the sty'e of the primitive plough, as it made a narrow groove, which rabbits cculd get into, but cattle and sheep could not. Another said that it was nut sufiicient to lay poison on both sides of the guliies and along hedges; it ought ti ba laid in the middle of the paddocks as well. St should be laid about a chain from hedges and gullie ! . Mr Battv thought it might be a good thing to change the poisons. He would engaae iu supply phosphorised pollard or toxa to order for tbi se requiring either, a a the poison could be got cheaper in bulk than in smaller quantities.

On? or two of the advocates of phosphotia.d polhrd as agairst t: xa pointed out that in consequence of the former being a elow poison the rabbits mos ly got a«a_/ into the scrub or iuto their burrews before thei died. A motion wai put and carried that aii landowners in the district, who had rabbit! on their properties, sh'.uld start poieonnig or, March Ist.