TENUI NOTES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 4981, 21 March 1895, Page 2

TENUI NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Wednesday, Tenui was quite lively on Tuesday, one might say as lively as bunny on a moonlight uighfc. Bunny has been too frolicsome lately and his peregrinations have causedevery settler's hand to be stretched out to exter-^.. minate him. Not only have settlers® ( been on the warpath, but inspectors > have had a cut iu, and now are waging war against the former. A whole batch of non-compliers with the Rabbit Act wore brought before Mr t Hutchison, S.M., this morning. Inspecter Miller led the attack assisted by Mr Bimuj. All tlie defendants pleaded " rot guilty." A. Elder, Langdale, was the first on the list, and, although he endeavoured to show that he had taken necessary precautions to exterminate the rabbits on his station by laying that sweet and seductive jam j "Toxa," which had stretched out about 12,000 within the last six [ weeks, lie was unable to convince the Inspector that enough had been slaughtered. He had employed rabbiters with dogs, but they had been unable to cope with the enemy. He said that he hoped the poisoning would be completed in a fortnight, by which time he would have been poisoning withToxaforthree months, and then the wholo station would j have been thoroughly poisoned, j Inspector differed from the defeiy j dant, as lie maintained that the rabI bits were still very numerous. The j defendant should have employed 30 men for six weeks, instead of 12 for three months, and then the work r and results would have been better. r Two witnesses were called for the e defence to prove that the work had . boen effectually carried out. Fiued > H. Uellis, Woodhurst, was the 0 next to step forward in answer to the Constable's call, With rather a „ slow step he advanced towards the 3 S.M., and glanced suspiciously at Rabbit Agent Webb. Inspector Miller said lie had inspected the run, and found rabbits in large numbers, '• but when asked by defendant where s they were numerous, he replied, "on !- the Tenui faces," wherever that e might be. Defendant enquired whether the Inspector did not think i. the rabbits came olf the adjoining li property,aNativereserve,Somecrossn firing between them took place qL 1 this stago, and pointed language il&j - indulged in by defendant, who reo minded Agent Webb that he (the e agont) was on his oath. Defendant f had taken steps to destroy the e rabbits immediately ou being warned e by Inspector Miller. All to no purpose, although Toxa had been laid. The S.M. informed defendant that the Government hadnot laid the information to obtain money as a line, but that it wanted to force liim to work, "Yes sir," said this slaughterer of the innocent-looking ,t pest, " 1 have been working hard all '■ my life, and suppose I shall as long ~ as there are any rabbit Inspectors, e —Fined £5. s Jas Langdou, Bute, was the next to stand on the carpet, He stated a that he had done everything possible t for a man to do to destroy the •- rabbits, He had employed labour, and laid" Toxa" with good results, n andwassiitisfied that his rabbits were 8 reduced, but the Inspector was not, Defendant had ridden over the places indicated by the Inspector as badly ;1 infested, but had seen no rabbits, ,t He thought that if his ueighboujfr r had taken steps to destroy tl? rabbits on their sections, ho would not have so many as the Inspector ii slated. Inspector Miller did not n think that sufficient excuse, and that if defendant's neighbours had not taken steps to destroy rabbits on their sections, still he had not done sufficient to destroy thorn on his own, ® Fined £2. * Goring Johnston, Castle Point, was then ushered in, Ho was " charged with not having taken the 0 necessary steps to reduco the ver- " miu on the property known as tlio Whakataki Reserve, which ho holds ' under lease from the natives, He said he had employed two men with about forty dogs, and admitted not 1 having poisoned that particular place, which the Inspector considered bably infested, although he had poisoned along the boundary of the Whakataki Creek, He stated.that . his principal reason for not poison- > , ing the natiye reserve was because | his lease expired in Juno, and lie . was not going to poison for other [ people to reap the benefit. Fined ! £4, John Cross, Glenside, was itsi called, but did not put in an appeiS anco, Fined £B, He arrived in , Tinni at 2 o'clock, and was surprised i to hear that the Court had risen. He , had been summoued for Monday at two, and when it was adjourned until Tuesday, ho thought the Court' would sit at the same hour. Costs - were granted against the in all the cases. * The proceedings were terminated by the Rev J. C. Andrew, being ; summoned by Constable Colterton, Inspector of Factories, for not having proper accommodation for shearers. Defendant caused much amusement by describing a house whiob he supposed the Government wished him to erect on a grand scale. .If he built a fine house, with a golden roof and marble floor, for his shearers, the Inspector would prosecute him for erecting one better than the plau. He was ordered to erect it by October Ist, but he would tell the Court that he mjAt not have any sheep then. He j3Sk let the shearing by'contract, andtfle contractors prefer tents to live in. Perhaps the shearers would like his house to live in. Well Ihe and his wifo worn quite prepared to go out and live in tents iu the' summer, and let the men have his house. The case was adjourned,' ! ' The TenuiMo'ol pic-nic will" be ■ held' on Friday fteek in the' School pund.' The; prizes 'will'be distributed m the' hall th'd sains 'evening. f