Rangitikei Advocate. MONDAY, MAY 27, 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8823, 27 May 1907, Page 2

Rangitikei Advocate. MONDAY, MAY 27, 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES

DR. DANSYZ, who has gone hack to France satisfied that his experiments have been a success, but disappointed that be was not allowed a fair field in bis investigations, complains that lie has bad to fight more against opposition of a political and financial character than against the real enemy, the rabbit. The fact is that vested interests have arisen which would be injured if the rabbits wore to disappear, and the j representatives of these interests are I strongly against any scheme which will ruin their business. Numbers |of casual labourers are employed in | trapping rabbits, and tiie labour 1 leaders are very averse to depriving > those men of their means of liveli-

I hood. Australia, in fact, has to j face the question whether it is | more profitable to feed rabbits on j the laud or sheep, but has hitherto come to no definite decision on the subject. Dr. Dausyz gave some interesting opinions to an interviewer on the comparative economical values of sheep and rabbits, which we quote as tending to strengthen the hands of those in this district who are engaged in the campaign against rabbits. Dr. Dausyz estimated that a rabbit needed every day ono-fifth of its weight in food, and that in proportion to its weight it must cat throe times as much as a sheep. In weight one sheep represents 25 rabbits, but in food required one sheep represented only eight or ten rabbits, therefore the same quantity aud quality of food 1 which, turned into mutton, wool and skin, represented a value of from 15s to SOs, represented, when turned into rabbits, only 2s or 3s. If actually on a station one acre can carry one sheep and about 30 rabbits, the same area will—given equal conditions—be able to carry two sheep, when the number of rabbits lias beeu reduced by 50 per cent. All farmers have'long recognised the loss

of carrying capacity when rabbits are numerous, but these figures put the argument in. a compact form, which must appeal to evorvono who hesitates 'to take tho trouble necessary to extirpate tho rabbit.

THE Council of Ministers in Cairo have decided that the height of the Assuan dam should he increased in order, to raise the level of the water j stored in the reservoir hy seven 'metres (23ft.) above the present maximum. Tins decision was taken after an .exhaustive survey and examination of the Nile Yalley between Wadi Haifa and Khartoum, which proved that no suitable site for a dam of the required sizo and" a reservoir of the necessary capacity ox- *

I isted between" Wadi .Haifa and Khartoum. The only alternative was, therefore, to raise the existing dam. The quantity of water stored by the new dam will bo two and a quarter, times greater thau that stored by the existing dam. The new supply of water will bo sufficient to irrigate about one million acres. At present about 950,000 acres of land unfilled for want of water exist in the northern tracts of Egypt, a large part of which is Government property. It is proposed to use the additional water from the enlarged reservoir for reclaiming this land, which will cause increased wealth and increased revenue. The value of the annual increase in the cotton ■ crop, which this irrigation work i will bring about, is estimated at be- ' tween three and a half and four i million pounds. Unfortunately, the scheme imposes on the Government the necessity of further submerging ■ the Phi lae Temple and other j Nubian monuments, hut every en- ' deavour will be made to minimise the injury thus caused. An archao- ' ological survey from Haifa to Assuan lias been made, and § the

d ifferent archaeological societies have been invited to co-operate in this work. The estimated cost of increasing the height of the is £1,500,000, this sum including compensation to the inhabitants of Nubia, whose lauds will he submerged. The time required to complete the work is six years, so that, not until 1913 will Egypt reap the benefit of this large increase in the water supply of the country.