SECOND EDITION Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1878.] SATURDAY, JULY 14, 1894. THE RABBIT PEST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4773, 14 July 1894, Page 2

SECOND EDITION Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1878.] SATURDAY, JULY 14, 1894. THE RABBIT PEST.

For nearly a century ourrulors have waged war against the proline rabbit with very doubtful success, The rabbits have eaten sonic million pounds worth of grass and some hundreds of thousands of pounds have been expended in a futile process of extermination, There lias been a campaign ■c.vcry year from which the Government bus now and again claimed 11 partial victory, but which in most instances lias been in favour of the rabbit. When the Conservatives were in power, more settlers were barrassod and more rabbits killed, now that the Liberals reign fewer settlers are harassed and fewer rabbits nrc killed. New Zealand wants some better defined policy respecting the post. Compulsory wire netting has been suggested and much good might be dono with this preventive if the Colony set about the work in a business-like manner. The first desideratim would be to get cheap netting and hero the Government might very Lwell endeavour to s(art a new local industry. The nianufactuio of wire netting is a fairly simple process, involving the introduction to this Colony of no very expensive machinery, and if a bonus were offered for the first ten or twenty miles of it manufactured in Now Zealand it would bo an inducement for some Birmingham or Wolverhampton nmmifact'ai'er to bring a little plant out here and turn out cheap netting on the spot; Rabbit netting is a somewhat cumbrous article to bring from England, and the freight on it is necessarily high, We do not see why with a little encouragement from the State it could not bo nianufncti'ved locally to better advantage. At any rate it is quite time that some new departure should bo taken in order that the rabbit pest may be effectually dealt

with. Out of a tender! settlers the Govorumen simply playing with the ] this policy'be continued 1 will in a year or two be si run with the plague. V\V ever,"that the, Liberal soul ahove rabbits, "-.i.

»ard for is now t, and if country )ly ovois :ear,howrty has a