The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 1915. CALIFORNIAN THISTLE MEETING.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 185, 15 April 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 1915. CALIFORNIAN THISTLE MEETING.

("With which is incorporated The Taihapo Post 'i.n3 Woimarinu News.)

The meeting of farmers held yesterday was a large and representative one; landowners from the utmost extremes of the district, by their presence alone, testified to the seriousness with which they regard the question. The interest displayed could not have beer, greater, and the discussions were of a helpful and earnest character. Members of County Council. 1 ; quite beyond the Taihapo territory were also present, am! one of them, Mr. Shaw, Kiwitca Countv Council, mentioned that his Council had passed a resolution ashing tlie Government not to enforce the Noxious Weeds Act in its connection with also said that after twenty years' experience cutting the thistle was an absolute farce; other farmers with a similar experience made almost precisely similar statements. This large body of farmers gathered together to consider a matter which should be of vital import to them, something that, according to Departmental action, is of as pressing a nature as the old-time rabbit regulations, were, definitely and unanimously decide, ed that the thistle should be removed to schedule three of the ' Act, so that local governing bod- ; ; ies may say wh' Vaec local condi- ' tions warrant it■, being cut or not. ; When the rabbit nuisance was'at the height of its'importance ho: ' considerable own* ■■■ of land was ] opposed to it, but on- the cLlioi.* j' thvy held meetings and urged P that effective means for its abate- j : mrat should be enforced. Is it reasonable to believe that land- U owners are less alive to their in- ; ] tercsts to-day, and that they are £

willing- to start upon a course of self ruin by agitating for the en-1 couragement of a noxious weed that will lessen the feeding capacity of their land. Let us be assured tliat landowners are not so stupid; if the thistle is a nuisance to the extent that prosecutionswould have us believe, settlers j would be just as much concerned as the owners of rabbit-infected country were, and they would not only cut the thistle, which is the equivalent oi* rabbit-poisoning, but they would also seek other methods for its destruction, supplementing the law, just as the rabbit- tortured people put their, hands into their pockets and tried everything, almost, that was suggested to them—cats, _ ferrets, stoats, weasels, and netting. It Is not reasonable to assume that large bodies of successful businessmen are so foolish as to oppose to the uttermost the inclu- ; sion of a noxious weed in an oper-; ativc schedule of the Act if it were at all a menace to the earning capacity of their land, and Ave trust the Government will take; the course indicated by the unani-, mous resolution passed at the; meeting, and remove California!!, thistle to the third schedule of the ' Act. It must be obvious to the, Department and to the Goverji. .« ment that, while the thistle would: be an annoyance on flat lands, that are used almost solely for: grain and other rotating crop, growing, it has no such sigmfi-j canccon high, hilly country,, that j can only be used, for sheep-graz-; ing purposes to any extent. The* owners of purely country would in all probability j be as anxious to have thistle-cut-; ting enforced as owners "of hilly! sheep-feeding country are. to have j it put under the authority of their, j local governing body. Of course, j all parties are guided solely by; their own interests, by what most■ affects the earning capacity of their holdings. Owners of flat agricultural land experience no difficulty, and it, comparatively, takes no time to cut thistles; they simply put a. mowing., machine over the land and the work is done. Then the ploughing and other, working of the soil displaces the thistle roots, so that with attack from above and below it is capable of being kept down; but what is the case on* land, of which there is a great deal in our own territory, thousands of acres of, literally, mountain tops, some of it almost inaccessible, the valleys of times mountain torrents, land on which a bit of thistle growing would be very welcome, but which it would be impracticable to keep cut. The meeting undoubtedly did the right thing masking that hCalifornian thistle should be removed to the third schedule of the Act, and it is to be hoped that the Government will realise the reasonableness; of their contention.