THE RABBIT MEETING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 172, 30 May 1879, Page 2

THE RABBIT MEETING.

To the Editor of the Wairarapa daily

Sir,—l expected to have read some useful suggestions from some of the experienced men who attended the meeting, but no practical l'emcdy was elicited, The Act is useless if it was workable, It is an old woman's fallacy to recommend cats. If the weasel will exterminate the rabbit, will it not also destroy all the game, poultry, and birds that feed upon our enemies, the caterpillar, grasshopper, and other destructive insects. When they have cleared up the game, they will commence with the lambs. Where rabbits are so numerous as to take poison, it will be charity to poison the sheep too, as they will starve to death.

In my opinion Mr. McGregor was moving in the right direction in requesting the County Council to ask Parliament to give them power to deal with the rabbit question. If Mr Eenall had been Councollor he would not have advocated such a ridiculous measure as special committees to sit where and wheii, or have doubted the wisdom of the Council to deal with the nuisance.

An Act of 100 clauses is not required, but power given to the County Councils to appoint Inspectors, say Scab Inspectors, to act with sufficient numbers of sub-Inspectors; that. every landowner should commence to destroy upon the same date, to be notified by the Council. The whole success will depend on all killing at the same time, instead of driving them on to each other, only to come back. •

I did expect something practical from Cr Boys, instead of recommending a weak petition, and have backed up Mr McGregor, and shown Mr Renall that Counsellors could prove their own wisdom in cases of emergency. As I have criticised other settlers' plans for destroying the rabbit, I will give my own, It is well known tlmt four years ago I to swarming with rabbits; with one Scotch terrier and four small mongrels in three months the stench.was bad enough, but live rabbits were few ; in six months to get a couple was a day's work. At this date I am being supplied by my neighbours, Sulphur and doga are the real

.remedy.; no County fee for dogs under a given size; penalties : iiiiproporti6n#sl& of holdingsand numbe'fs of rabbits, to be strictly enforced by : inspectors 'for.-not comply.ihjg-jyith their iiotice. Mfiori iandto be included, pr all other means will, bo a failure. —lam ) ' : &o. j • •/. H. H. Jackson, StonestSad', May 28/1879., .