THE RABBIT PEST.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 256, 6 March 1917, Page 2

THE RABBIT PEST.

County Council Discussion. The subject of the excessive prevalence of rabbit<! in Franklin County again received attention from the County Council at its meeting last Thursday, when Ci J. Henry remarked that in his opinion the formation of local committees last year had failed t> b? offective. He thought the only remedy would be to form Rabbit Boards for the districts affected Cr Reuall claimed that in his (Awhitu) districts the in9thols pur- *• sued by the committee were most successful. Furrows were ploughed and poison was laid and where thousands of rabbits were seen before few were now observable. The whole of th n district was not, how- , ever, dealt with but the committee would be soon starting operations again and they hoped to destroy every rabbit. If the system was ' successful in one district it could bo so in any other except for negligence. He was opposed to Rabbit Boards as they were very extensive organisations, entailing the use of wire netting, which was of excessive cast just now.

Cr Lyons said that his observations were that where committees had been at work there was hardly a rabbit left to shoot Cr Wilcox concurred with Cr Lyons.

Cr Henry stated that he and three others contributed £1 each and bought poison, which they distributed, but the difficulty was that they had no power to enforce action such as they would have under a Rabbit Board. Mention was also mads that efforts were thwarted by the Fields Inspector having to obtain authority from Wellington before any prosecutions could be instituted.

Cr Lockwood considered poisoning, although spasmodic, had been fairly successful at Hunua. He, however, thought that Cr Renall had used arguments which really supported the formation of Rabbit Boards in order to force people to do what had been done at Awhitu

Cr Renall explained that he had no objections to Rabbit Boards in localities in which they were wanted. The matter dropped without any decision being arrived at.