RABBITS IN AUSTRALIA.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1313, 26 February 1883, Page 2

RABBITS IN AUSTRALIA.

(From the Hawke's Bay Courier); •. The stock inspector of : New South Wales, in a report on the rabbit'peat, says:—- ' ( .',.' • 7''.".',•> ,-7 'ln this colony, -already, the' owners'of three or four stations,have spent £BOOO, others up to £2000) and other'sums ranging from £IOOO downwards;-and lam sorry to *ay. with generally comparatively little permanent effect, great many of the owners in the' ihfesled'cQuiilfy ftt§ now keeping men employed 1 all the/year round searching for and destroying rab> bits. On'some station! as many as 30 hands .have been'employed at this work atone time, on others 25,0n others 20, 15,; 12, • andlO,. accompanied -by 'dray's, teams, and papks of dogs.', >:; , The rabbits hftTs ruined rasnyowners in all jhß jn whiojii tfeey on ; tained a footJr|g,7yl)i^th9'pop.nl gpppf in... tlje; pe.st, anj - loss tbrpug| their enormous. 'Qu one property alono (tf}e Messrs Robertson's) Qolac) abpi)t £4o,P'.v»i : liiifiiit' i'n clewina it of rabbits, and a'Btone.vwaJl of.ljftieep jn the groqnd rburidit;! and other'owners, alio in theAVeiferh' / di«tript« of.yiptoria., With properties 6f ; 8000, JO.OOO, 15,000, 20,000, and.Bo,ooO-.aareß, are spending annually sutni, Tirying/'frora £IOOO to j£3ooOin merely keepingth'e.rabbits down j while in theiwimmara district so'far-'ai the Crown lands are concerned, it ; may be said that the' rabbits have to a largo, extent . taken possession:of the country; - for rum that one time owried.fJOiOOQ nbw keep 6000.;;In;fact it is stated;by those whose opinion is to b.e.jelied upon, upon, that the, rabbit pest has Already cost -Victoria between '£4,000,000' and sterling;. and as it H still spreading there, and;will,:if not speedily checked, soon be all ! over the colony, the amount mpntioned i&' W'what the pest wjil 1 ultimately pqst ''.nat'pojpiiu;