The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1881.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 803, 25 June 1881, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1881.

A decided atep has been taken by the stockowners of the Wairarapa towards solving the rabbit difficulty. The efforts ttade as yot forlhe destruction of these marauders, have not been sufficiently systematic and general, to produce any great result. Poison has been the principal agent used; but, till within the last month or two, it has not been spread over a sufficient area to produce any decisive advantage,,'and,even now, Crown lands, scrub lands, absentee's sections, teem with rabbits which are practically secure from having their propagating propensities checked by phosphorus. The recent meeting at Carterton has however, affirmed that poison alone will not cope, with the f vil—that in self-protection the natural enemies of rabbits must be introduced, Taking the Wairarapa as a whole, it is probable that all the hunting, shooting, and poisoning, ha 3 not as yet reduced its resident rabbit population. Indeed the weight of evidence favors the supposition, that, though in many localities they have been materially lessened, they have reappeared in still greater numbers in.other places—all efforts so far having merely, led to displacements, first sight, it would seem that the introduction of large numbers of weasels and stoats from Europe would be an oxtreme measure; ,Theso natural enemies are carnivorous, and as fond of poultry as theyare of rabbits/'There is however, th'e Compensating' consideration that'. whiloHhey can obtain.foqd in the open country, their instinct leads them to slum the habitation of man, and, even should hunger drive Ijhem to his io'r, they are just as'likely to destroy rats and mice as i poultry.) N Of course there is a risk in introducing any new element into our animal kingdom. Once it obtains a footing in this

•Vith i'Us v per for f|ood ip| /for qyil, l||.n|entlpiastio" acelimatisatipti but'now ,ffl|)iy'a FaiifTer in th'e;Mtddlfi' islandw^^ ■quarter fche;gen to. them dris blessing." "/Perhaps for gene'; jatipns'tq coijie Zeajan'd,''oiie animal" will' have'. : i'ri; be." imported / to, destroy some other,..}Ybich...has 'previously been introduccd,;aiid .which has thriven?, to' siicli jm latent]. that jit becomes an uriniitigated evil. At some future period .in the history of this colony ;we shall have a balahce ! struck by" possessing a due proportion of every graminivoru's arid carniyorus' animal, suited to our climate. At present bur proportions. are all wrong, and they must be tinkered at till a fairer adjustment be . obtained. Under these circumstances weiare willing to w elcoime weasels, if by introducing them we canget rid of rabbits. One reason why more stringent steps for the destruction of rabbits has not been taken long ago, has been the low value set upon land during the past two years. -Land has been almost a drug in the market, and grass has been at a discount. Settlers have heen inditteient whether rabbits eat -up .their; feed or no.,- If all their: grass were lost it mattered tittle for all" the money they could make out if it. Now,'however, landowners are begin-' ning to see that better times are coming, that a greater demand for produce of all kinds is imminent,- that'the price of meat and grain is likely to rise, tiadto remain at a higher level than heretofore. They recognise that their grass is worth protecting from the- rabbits, and are determined'to take steps that will secure it absolutely, from encroachment, It is the impending prosperity, of pastoral and agricultural interests. which has banded settlers together at the present time to exterminate rabbits, and however much we may deplore the ravages which these' vermin are making in the grazing land of the Wairarapa, we can congratulate ourselves on the fact that they are now likely to meet their master. We trust that the activity and energy which is now being generated to overcome one obstacle, will be displayed in removing every impediment to the progress and development of this .district. Country settlers have latteriy shown themselves capable of pullingtogether, and working shoulder to shoulder for the common welfare of the district, This spirit of co-operation promises well for the future of the Wairarapa.

On our fourth page will be found interesting correspondence which- has been crowded out of of our inside pages. An extra summoned meeting of the Stonehenge Lodge, A.0.D., is convened for Monday next. J. lorns & Co hold a special auction of furniture to-day, on behalf of a gentleman leaving for England. Tenders are invited up till Monday next for the stock-in-trade in the estate of Bennett & Potts, Carterton. The inhabitants of Masterton will probablynot require to be reminded of Mr RenalPs invitation to them to meet him in tho Town-Hall this evening. Greytown meets Masterton at football to-day iu Mr Drumraond's paddock, and the excitement over the gathering is great. Tho first match commences at one o'clock sharp. Mr Thos. Hall, of Masterton, notifies that he is a cash purchaser of rabbit skins in any quantity. " Mr R. Lee, Inspector of Education, is now in the Wairarapa. Do paid a visit yesterday to the Masterton school, The value of the electric lights for steamers has boon discussed in tho house of Lords at Wellington. Opinions on the subject differed. The Commissoner of Crown Lands advertises the sale of lands on deferred and cash payments in the Belmont and Pahautanui districts, plans of which may be seen at this office also sections iu the Wharoama and Waipawa District, St Matthew's schoolroom will bo opened at 2,30 p.m. to-day for a sale of work. At seven in the eveniug a tree will be lit for the bouefit of juvenile visitors. Tickets for tbe evening may be obtained at any time during the day at tho schoolroom. From tho arrangements made, we_ havo every reason to believe that visitors will receive splendid value for their money. We wish the committee overy success iu their present enterprise. Subscriptions in aid cf importing the natural enemies of rabbits will be received by the Inspectors of each district, and the members of the sub-committeo appointed at the late meeting, To show that the promoters of this movement are in earnest, we might mention that Messrs Beetham .Bros., of Brancepeth, have already subscribed their names for &00, and Mr W. C. Buchanan, of Gladstone, has put down his for £SO. It would be as well for the response to this appeal to be prompt, so tl.at the necessary steps may be taken during the present season. The Eev Father Halbwachs in another column contradicts the rumor'we circulated that he was about to leave this district. We believed that our information at the time we made tho statement, was accurate but are very much pleased to find itto have been unfounded as we should be very sorry to see the Rev Father leaving the Wairarapa. The following is a copy nf a produce telegram; received by..the New Zenland Loan aiid Mercantile Agency .'Company. (Limited) ;-London, June 21st,- Wool. —The sales progress .firmly, and there is good competition by both Homo and foreign buyers; the daraand on French account is active, and German demand is moderate. .-. Up to date 2G0.000 bales have been sold, nf which 155,000 bales have been taken for export, The sale programme has been curtailed by six days, A letter from Mr J. Y. Smith on the county question and other correspondence is crowded out of our present issue. Some people are puzzled to know why the arc of a circle should be substituted for a straight line with the new curbing in Church-street, i ; , !, A slight scare took place yesterday through some particles; of phosphorus which had been thrown out of Vile and D'Aroy.'s store becoming ignited, and setting, fire to seine bits of straw, &0., lyingabout. f It,raised a,little smoke,but there was ho danger of :a conflagration. .. The election of officers for the various 'ohairs arid other offices in cbhriection/with the Court Marquis'bf Normanby AiO.Fv resulted on Thursday, evening as follows: -O.R. Bro:Gole;S.C'.R. Bio. Evans; Secretary Bro. Robinson; Treasurer Bro. Rumble; S.W. Bro. Church'; J.W. Bro. .Edward's: S.B. Bro. J. Edward's; J.B. Bro. Potts; 'Court 1 Surgeon, Dr A. B. B. Watts; Auditors, Bros. Harman, Bennett, and King. Delegate to next district meeting, Bro. Potts,'

cersf th^e|iwJp«ic''Lodle»s : Thietle Lodge, aßßisted by. PrM.'B^Bfoi's Wyllie and Biah,. of Maatertoh Lodge. _lne-tollowing Brethren-.were-duly -in-;: stalled- for the ensuing'year::~Bro/.'VK Mmi,: W. M,. • Bro. :j;::Baiiiie,:s;fcj. Wickerson, Secretary;' Bro. W. Scale,! S!D.; Bro.R.J, Thompson, J.D.; Bro.! J,^uller/ ; J.G,0'8>6.j4 opok 1 Tyjerj A. banquet Whelll in'.the evenbig at.the •Forestei's'-Httllj-nt-which a large number sat down,- .The- banquet was -prepared- by! Bro, Wiake'rsoii, iii if Htyle"that!); has seldom" been equalled In the. Waifarapay after, which,.the. evening was passed in! dancing and sinking. • '■'":■ ■'•! In Wellington when competition in the 'drapery business becomes brisk' if.'generally has'the effect of clearing out all small- fry, i.e,, businesses that cannot 'stand competition; who generally bring 'up at some-country town'and advertise cheap r clearing sales, and, a, rule] 'manage to: delude ; tlie unwary .pblic'.ltd buy the vilest rubbish and Bhoddy, &c.; it is possible- forauy'oh'elhat is a good .judge of material to imagine, and in nine cases out of ten the" "prices charged are far moreithan.that charged! at the regular stores. These hard times the general public should bo cautioned against this : ;class of business, an.l buy only at really ' legitimate stores, who are stationed in the town; by so doing they keep the money in the place, which'no doubt even; ; tiiaily finds its way back into their own pockets. Schroder,' Hooper-and Co., at the Hall of Commerce, are determined hi spite of all opposition to keep up the reputation of the leading drapery establishment m- the .Wairarapa, and-.will-sell millinery, dress goods, ulsters/ jackets', ladies' and children's underclothing, hosiery, and gloves,; blankets, flannels', sheeting, calicoes, winceys; house furnishings, men's and boy's..cloching, hats, gentlemen's-merceryj &e„. at prices that defy, competition.,. Customers' will do iwell to inspect Schroder, Hooper & Co.'a stock before purchasing elsewhere. Their advertisement will be found ohthe 1 front page of this paper.—Advt. •■ ' : I feel assured that the public of Masterton have too much good sense,to be led away by the spiteful lies of an, opposition storekeeper; and I feel very sorry that persons calling themselves Drapers and Clothiers should lower, themselves •by slandonng their opponents, because they cannot compete iu a fair and legitimate way. I take this opportunity of assuring the. inhabitants of the district,-,that by calling at 0. Smith's sale in' Fellingkam's old -shop, -opposite the' Coach Factory, they will get new and fashionable goods, quite 50 per cent, less than . the general Masterton prices,—Advt, ;,