The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4,1890. The New Rabbit Board.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3527, 4 June 1890, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4,1890. The New Rabbit Board.

The election of tho North Wairarapa Rabbit Board is notified for the 12th inst, and nine candidates are before the stockownere for the five available seats, The question of making a judicious selection from the list is now of some importance to country settlers, and we trust it will receive careful and impartial consideration. Uf the personal merits of the respective candidates it is unnecessary to speak, indeed it would be difficult to single out any one of thorn, who, from this point of view is ineligible. The question which should determine the election is, in our opinion, one of policy, The aim and object of the Trust is to suppress rabbits speedily and effeotuallj, and however opinions may differ us to the means best adapted to compass the desired result, it is evident that at this juncture there must be no slackening of the work of extermination. When the new Hoard comes jntp power the poisoning season of the yea? will be in full swing, At the present time an organised staff under the Govern: ment control is making necessary arrangements for the annual raid, and the change of oontrol at such a critical time will be very much like " swopping horses while crossing a stream, The only apparent way to avoid a hiatus of this kind is for the new Board to continue ihp services of the existing staff till the poisoning iieipn is over, The formation of a new staff in the middle of the poisoning season, a staff which would have to acquire certain experience and local know, ledge of baoldings and topographical details already in the ppsmon of tho officers now in charge, would inevitably result in an inefficient administration, If the view- we have indicated bo a correct one, and and settlers gonerally aro well able to appraise its worth, it follows that the right policy to pursue at the coming election will be to select trustees who are likely to work harmoniously with the existing staff until the operations of the poisoning season aro brought to a successful conclusion, Of course it will be entirely at the option of the new Board either to make 9clean sweep of all existing arrangepients, o» to continue them for Buph a period as may enable a transition tobe accomplished without impairing the work of extermination, It may be taken for granted that if the Board desire# the co-oporation of the existing staff the (jpvernment would place no obstaole intlwwipfa temporary arrangement tyliich would be jij t)ie interests of the district and colpny, Ejtil] on i}je other hand it will ho lawful

for tlio Board to at onco [ever all connection with the depavtpent unci unite its arrangements indaiendoutly of the men now in barii'ss. The former course appears to ul, from a business point of vioWi tlio fetter one, and we hope to see spckowners selecting ior- tlio new Babbit trust candidates who will be jlikely to carry out a policy which M so much, from a practical standpoint, in its favor, No doubt we mayircasonably expect some good results; from the establishment of the new'board, but the one urgent and pressing need at the present tune is a| successful poisoning season, and unless this be assured, whatever tliJ ultimate result of the Board's operations may bo, it will labor under jfho sorious disadvantage of making a bad start, which will take it a verj long time to make up. The old 'adage " ono years seeding, three years weeding" might be aptly paraphrased and made applicable to the rabbit difficulty.