THE SHEEP AND RABBIT ACTS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1826, 29 October 1884, Page 2

THE SHEEP AND RABBIT ACTS.

The joint Committee oa the Sheep and Rabbit Acts have presented their report to Parliament The following is that portion referring to the Sheep Act, 1878:-" The Committee cannot too strongly urge on the Government the great importance of enforcing with impartial strictness the provisions of an Act which has such an important bearing upon an industry that yields fully one half in value of the total exports of the colony, the Art, being one which so far as the treatment of scab is concerned, appears on the whole to meet the requirements of existing circumstances. The evidence taken before the Committee shows that the progeess mado towards the eradification of scab has not been satisfactory; it is true that the Canterbury and Gisbome districts have been entirely freed from the disease, and that similar progress has been made in portions of the Nelson and Marlborough districts, which it is well known, inolude large tracts of country, probably the most difficult to deal with in Ne*v Zealand. But the latter fact only serves to prove that at the present moment the entire colony might, like the Australian colonies, have been

quite free from scab, There can, therefore, he no reason why the districts of Auckland, Wanganui, Waira« rapa, Nelson, and Marlborough should stiLl remain infected, and a great 30urce of danger to the rest of the jolony. And although undoubtedly in ;ach district there have been obstacles yhich have added to the difficulty of tamping oat the scab, the Committee ,re strongly of opinion that had the Act, o soon as it came into operation, been trictly enforced within those districts, he disease would by this time have leen eradicated..;.. The great injustice lone by a lax administration of the aw in any part of the colonymay be airly illustrated : by the case oflumerous sheepowners in the Amurji listrict, who have been compelled"--inder the Act to clean their flocks at >ery great'cost to themselves, ardflhill mable'on account of the continuSion if scab in other parts of the Marllorough. districts to take advantage of ihe Canterbury markets without übraitting to the further expense if twice dipping, "and the diminuion in the value of their sheep ionsequeht. thoreon, in order that he Act- may be; properly aduiinisered. It'is imperative that the aplointments of officers to carry out the aw should be made with, greater cure ban in fcho past, and none but efficient nen allowed to remain in the service. iloreover, until scab is eradicated it s not desirable that Inspectors in nfected districts should be employed n any other capacity than that of Inspector under the Sheep and Rabbifcfc icts, The Committee has also com? ;o the conclusion that there is no hope )f complete eradication of scab unless ;he Government at once take stepsio •emove from their 'employment jfficers who by the results of the past have proved themselves incapable of itamping out the scab in the districts ;o which they have been appointed j tnd further that no officer who fails to ilean the sheep under his charge within i period of two years should be retained w the service. At the same time the uommittee would point out that remissions of lines inflicted upon confictions for breaches of the Act, have been granted in opposition to the intention of the Legislature and tho meaning of the Act, the purport of which is that the imposition md payment of penalties should bo imperative, and that these remissions liave not, so far us can be ascertained, led to greater efforts on the part oi the jQ'enders to clean their sheep; but on the contrary have decidedly discouraged the officers in their attempts to perform their duly. Tho Committee thiAfe that encouragement and support showl be given to all officers while acting with diligence and good judgement in carrying out their instructions, and with a view to affording all proper (acilities for tho eradication of scab, recommends that every assistance be rendered to the Inspectors for the purpose of clearing wild sheer/' from unoccupied Crown lands iir\ infected districts, Before leaving this part of the enquiry, the Committee would draw attention to one instance »f serious loss to the Colony at largo [probably not generally known) which results from the existence of scab imongst our flocks at the present time, and with a prospect of long continuince. There is a great demand for sheep in the Australian markets at prices which would yield large profits upon exports from New Zealand; in cousequence however, of tho quarantine regulations, New Zealand sheep are virtually excluded from Australia. Were this the only serious result ofjfc) existence of scab in the colony, itwStl yet fully justify the most earnest appeal to Government to use every ■ effort to eradicato it in as speedy a manner as possible. It will also be apparent in reference to the annual jheep returns (Hansard 3, 1884, p. 2) that whilst tho sheep rate in the districts of Napier, Canterbury, and Otago, where there is no seab, exceeds ;he salaries paid to Inspectors, )y. an aggregate sum of £4029, the ■ate from the remaining dig. ;ricts which are infected districts falls ihort of the required amount by £3OIO md that as tho total sheep iate excoeds jy £lOl9 the total amount paid in ialaries, it follows that the clean disii'icts are contributing no less than £2510 towards the expensesof eradioatng scab in other districts, besides £lOl9 towards the general revenue of he colony. Lastly, the attention of he Committee has been d.awn to the irevaloHce of lice amongst the flmflL n several parts of the colony, and to he absence of authority under the GBth „ . ection of the Act for Inspectors to f lompel owners to dip their sheep * mleBS such sheep shall have been ireviously declared infected withn the meaning of the Act. This iourse involves more serious conse|uences than tin evil to be remedied ■equires, and the Committee, therefore, hinks it is desirable that an Act hould be passed at once giving inspectors the necessary powers to ompel the dipping of sheep infected nth lice to prevent them whilst thus nfeoted from being travelled on roads ir off the property of the owner. With his object in view, it recommends hat a Bill to effect this purpose be atroduced by Governmeut without lelay.