RABBIT BARD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3705, 8 January 1891, Page 2

RABBIT BARD.

The monthly meetii of tbe N ? r S Wairarapa Babbit wa !. r „ yesterday. Preseno-Vlessw W. H. Beetham(in the cW> Maunsel. • Groves, Moore aud M 1 * I ' B^ The minutes of the? revl , onß mefl V mg were read and, wlti alight amendment, confirmed. - [ CORHEti,POfDL NCE - From B. G. StaflK offering to supply his paste to tl Board at the rate of £25 per yearfud his own services at £5 per leek and expenses. ' From J. C,Andwwiwith reference to the rabbits on ais property, refusing to enter into iny agreement with the Board wifci regard to fencing, but stating -hat he was using every effort to prevent the inoursions ofhis neighbors rabbits and vice versa. Bank Balanle. The balance at thj Bank was reported by the Clerk \be £494 8s ] Oil L Accounts. Accounts amounting o £682 14s lid were passed for pyment,, the principal item being |649 4s 5d for the last shipment o, stoats and ! weasels, I The Natural E emy. The Chairman stated iat he would endeavour to prepare a .atoment by next meeting of where t e stoats and weasels imported had be n turned out in the district. 1 Travelling Exposes. The Chairman suggeifed ' ua ' i lue travelling expenses of uembers be paid in future. As tk'Board had control o'f the funds;he saw no reason why the expensespf its members should not be paid. ] On the motion of Mr Hurray it was decided that travelling (xpent.es at the rate of Is per mile be paid members of the Board. I nspectok's EEPOff •

The report of the Inspector was read as follows: Masterton, January j>. 1891. The Ciialkmab. North-Wairarapa Rabbit Eoard, Mesterton. Sir,—l have the hoiio! to hand you my report and diary i<X the past month. The stoats and weasels which arrived on the Gth of last mdoth were, I learn, all received in gooc, order at their several destinations., J Encouraging reports cintinue to be received that the natura' oneiny is assisting very materially to reduce the rabbit nuisance. Ownirs of property, however, should riit be too sanguine and give up other meaus of destruction.

The very dry season whiot is being experienced has been most favorable to the increase of the pest. 'Still, in face of this, I do not think t|iat rabbits are more plentiful thipughout the district, as a whole, tfan they were last summer, A. great: deal 0I " good work has been done in idiggiug out the burrows, resulting 1 in the destruction of'the young rabbits.

I have still to complahi of the neglect of rabbiters in not filling in and destroying rabbit burrofa after the rabbits have been takeii out of them, and with some owners i) seems utterly hopeless to get them ijo insist on their employees doing this],- and it will probably be very difficult to get this done so long as the practice exists of killing by so mncfr-pcr skiift » -- I regret to say that eincelast meeting I have had the of prosecuting an owner for in not destroying the pest, tfl result being that a flne of £ls was ■licted. Two other owners have so neglectful that there is no alternative but to lay informations againjt them. I have also been obliged to serve nine persons, on whose property Were is a marked increase of thje pe ft, with notice unJer section 8, of the Aot.

Several owners have infoibed me that they intend poisoning dupng the summer months. My ownjppinion is that this practice should be discouraged, experience shownb that where it has been done in iFo past the effect has been but satisfactory. Ijj li £ point to good having come frojp it in the end, and I believe, other Inspectors in the district Hold tiißsirae opinion. A few rabbits lAy be killed, but a great many are tßitely sickened with the poison, an<m- t'ase will not again take it. J_ In dealing with native lands wnere there are a number of owners < oncerned I find there is a feeling t lat all having an interest in the 1< ud should be prosecuted instead of only one or two. If this plan lis adopted, the result would be that in some instances where there aro fifty or one hundred owners the fines would amount at the I to almost the value of the lauuy I shall, however, be glad of instructions from the Board on this head. 1 notice that in some cases there is an inorease of rabbits on the Troad lines, and I am inclined to think owners bounding roads do not recognise their liability in the matter. I would therefore direct attention to seolion %\ of the Babbit Nuisance Act, 1882, which provides that > in any notice reference tonrivate lauds is to extend to roads "founding tb.e same. t Respecting the jujent o stoats and weasels I woftl ask the Board to decide in which parts of the district tbey should be ; liberated. I would suggest that the niajor portion be turned out alongi the coast between Whakataki anld Wajmato, some at Upper TauerukWiugate's) on Crown land between held of Kaiwhata and Waihoji steams and at Pakowai (Liverton's). Some ratepayers (perhaps naturally) thin k that a portion Of she stoats and weasels should le turned out on each individual's property, but this is almost impossible on the score of expense in distribution. From the migratory habits of the animals I believe it matters little_wbeie they are let loose as they soon distribute over a large area, in fact the fear is that large numbers are walking towards the dense forests. I am pleased to report tbat sevoral owners have commenced to breed ferrets, and probably some will be ready for liberation shortly. I would suggest to the Board the desirability of purchasing ferrets for sale at cost price to persons who wish to start breeding establishments. By buying a quantity the Board could tuneiite them cheaper than individuals! I would suggest to the Boaiil that a few pounds be expended iu omitting up a track from MoGovern's An the Mangarae Valley to Waiero.L An expenditure of about £4 wouldjloall that was necessary, Such wqujd save a good deal of •^K^ n 4 facilitate the inspection of thai ■ aS °"l of the district. As the Hldl be of. service la jAe jutf Iwptottts, t&e St^Bj^j^^^l

might be induced to bear a part o the cost, Your Obedient Servant, Thomas Mackay, Inspector. The report as read was adopted. It was resolved that the next shipment of stoats and weasels, to arrive early next month, be distributed as follows:—Mataikuna, 85; Skan, 15 ; Messrs.Liverton, Cox and Speedy Bros, (Pakowai) 65 ; Aohonga N.E., 85 ; Akitio South, 50 ; Akitio ' North, 50; Messrs Burling and Meech (Woodlands) 80; D Foreman (Sherwood), 14; Messrs Wingate, Levin and Co., J Miller, (Upper Taueru), 80. Total 874.

Several other minor matters having been dealt with the Board adjourned.