NOXIOUS WEEDS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 201, 3 February 1915, Page 8

NOXIOUS WEEDS.

COME MFFEPJiNP OPINIONS. TAUANAIiI COUNTY COUNCIL FAVORS STPJCT ENFORCEMENT. : "Either enforce the provisions of th.' Act, or sack the Inspectors, who arc at l present doing nothing for their salary," j remarked Cr. Binnie at the meeting of the Taranaki County Council yester-1 day, when the circular from the President of . the Board of Agriculture on the question of Noxious Weeds was disHe moved that the Board of Agiiculture be informed that the Council was of opinion that the. Noxious Weeds Act should be strictly enforced in the Taranaki district, more particularly as regards blackberry and ragwort. Cr. A. E. Lawrence seconded. Cr McAllum objected. If the Act wild enforced it wouid mean absolute ruin \ to many settlers, who would be forced to ! leave their property. No one would ! take u'j> the land again, and as the

cost of clearing could not lie recovered from the land or the mortgagee, there would be no one to attempt to clear the weeds, and things would be worse than they are at present. The. Stock Inspector had given hiin several instances where strict enforcing of the Act would mean ruin. Cr .T. A. Bridgeraan was (satisfied with tho resolution, tho'.igli h' wou'd iike ox-cyc daisy to !> ■ added. V.f thought that it was far better for fiit-.-to be ruined by the enforcement of tin" Act than for five hundred to be ruim-d owing to its non-enforceinc-'t, as would bo the case if the weed.* were not cheeked.

Cr Lawrence reiterated this. Cr C. Andrews said such a resolution was all very well in clear district.;, but inland, where three parts of the country was infested, it meant that the settlers were going to be turned off t' ! land, -.vhich- would go to vac!: and ruin. and matters would be even worse than they are at present. It would cost more to char some of- the h-.u:l ti:.iu it v,\..-' worth. Tn his own district, w''.crr> 'he laud was open, he wonM. 'ike to fee th" Act stringently enforced, but inland there should be some latitude. Cr Lawrence considered that the in-

spivtors always used judgment. They did not force a man to clear all his properi"-' in one war. but wore satisfied .if they 'saw lie win trying to set the land clear. This resolution did not si'v that t/he land should be cleared in the one year, C'r Morton suggested the addition of the word "more," to make the resolution read "more strictly." He had had considerable experience of blackberry, aa his farm had been as dirty as any. To eradicate the,weed, he had (had to spend' a lot of money, but he had obtained more than an adequate result. The inspectors never worried a man who was doing his best with the weeds, and, personally, if he was neglecting his weeds, he would be glad to bo worried. The strictest enforcing of the Act could not compel any man to clear 'his whole property. All the Act enforced was the clearing of a certain distance along vater-courses and fences. Beyond that

the Act could not go. He would not Bay whether he thought that this was adequate. Personally he had always found that they could rely on the discrimination and judgment of the inspectors, wlio would hot harass anyone that was doing his best. The only objection that the chairman saw was that the resolution did not discriminate between hilly and level land. Ho would like to see the Act enforced, but it might be a hardship to people in rough country, where the land was not ploughable. Cr. Laurence: The weeds can be cut

: to prevent seeding. I Cr Binnie referred to the hotbed of ! weeds in the Parihaka reserve, in the I Eginont county, now spreading over land valued at £3O per acre. What | might be a hardship to few would save ' tile pockets of many. Moreover, if the question was not tackled, the rateable j value would go down. Cr Hill considered that native and Government reserves had been a great curse. Or J. Andrews found fault with the inspectors for sending out the notices to clear the weeds too late. These should be sent out early, instead of waiting until the weeds had seeded. The resolution was then carried, with the addition of the word "more," suggested by Cr Morton. Crs C. Andrews 'and D. McAlhvm dissenting. Cr McAlliim said that the Council 'should be consistent on the matter, and he therefore moved that all ratepavers having noxious weeds growing along 'their frontages, should be' served with notice to clear the same. This was seconded by Cr Laurence and carried. Tt was also decided to instruct foremen to clear all crusher sites, etc.