COMMENTS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1828, 25 March 1884, Page 2

COMMENTS.

Mr C. dk Veke Teschkmakkr, of Marlborough, has sent us a circular on the subject of "The Rabbit Nuisance." We in Waikato. fortunately for us, have not yet had occasion to regard the eradication of bunny as a necessary prelude to procuiiug bread and butter, and we cannot therefore be expected to feel an absorbing interest in the question. But with our hrethern in the Southern Island this rabbit business is a very serious thing indeed. To many of them it has meant absolute ruin, and poverty is staring a goodly number of the survivors in the face. Rochefoucauld lias remarked that tlieie is often something in the adversity of our best fiiends which does not altogether displease us, but whether this axiom may be applied in a s,ense so wide as to admit of our rejoicing o\er the disappearance of our Southern neighbouis' flocks or not, does not we think ad nit of much discussion. The runholdcr is not a particularly popular personage in the estimation of the dcmoci.it, it is true, and the genius of this country is essentially deinociatie ; but the bitteiest enemy of the squatter would hardly c.ire to see In in eaten out of house and home by the rabbits. He who reasons out the c.ise must see that it is not merely the holder of the land, who may have got it by gridiromng, or who may hase leased it, that suffers ; the whole country loses in proportion as our wool producing power ducieases. Therefore, though the cal unity does not come home to us in its full intensity, we ought to extend our pity and, if need be, our aid to tho3e to whom it presents itself as a biting reality. Our \ery immunity ought to widen our sympathies. It is not kind words that are wanted so much as prompt action. The people in these rabuit-cursecl districts aie, according to their own account, harshly treated ; they are required by "The Rabbit Nuisance Act" to keep down the pest, while the administrators of the statute, the Government, maintain extensive bleeding grounds on the waste lands of the Crown, from which tho sheepbreeder's run is re-stocked as soon as he has got lid of what he already has. It will be interesting, as showing to what an extent the evil has gi own, to quote some statistics from Mr Teschemaker's circular : — " In my last paper on this subject" he says " I estimated — I think I may say demonstiated — that our direct annual losses from this cause are £1,649,000. j Our indirect losses from depreciation of property are large but unknowo. Our capital loss, in the value of the public estate in Otago and Southland alone, amounts to £3,000,000 ! As an additional proof of the above, I quote the following report of sales of pastoral leases in Otago and Southland held in Dutiedm on Febiuary2S, 1884 .-—698,830 acres were adveitised for sale by public auction in runs of different areas, 517,000 acres were let for 14 and 21 years for a total rental of £343. No offer was made for 181,850 ncres on account of the rabbit. These 608,850 acres should cury one sheep to four acres, equal to 174,712 sheep. An a\erage pi ice obtained for pastoral countiy in the Otago sales in 1881 and 1882, where the rabbits were, comparatively speaking, scatteied, was about Is 9d per sheep. At this rate the above country should yield a rental of £15,282. The State is the largest proprietor of rabbit couutry in New Zealand, (see Rabbit Inspector's leport for 1883, viz., 993,600 acres) and yet there is no law to compel the State to destroy the rabbits on its lands. Thepiiv.ate properties adjoining these areas of public wastes are under the law, and these properties, no matter how many rabbits have been killed in the winter, are continnally re-stocked from the Government lands ! It is sufficient to mention one or two instances to show how all are affected in this way : — The Moa Flat station in Otago once clipped about 120,000 sheep, producing 1300 bales of wool. It now clips, I believe, 43,000 sheep, which produce 500 bales of wool ! Messrs Cargill and Anderson, some seven years since, clipped 25,000 to 30,000 on the Mt. Benger station, adjoining Moa Flat. They now. I believe, clip 10,000 sheep, and have spent meantime some £4000 or £5000 in destioying rabbits ! " These figures aie alarming truly, and the more so, perhaps, because, as the writer points out, the taxpayers are the losers. The squatters have had to abandon vast areas of land leased from the State, which are now thrown back on the Government worse than useless. Mr Teschemaker argues that the State should accept the responsibilities of ownciship, and come under the law like other proprietors, and he then proceeds to discuss the various methods, now in use and suggested, for the removal or at tho abatement of the pest, urging that it is the duty of the Government to take the lead in applying these remedial measures. Poisoning he legards as being open to many objections, the chief being that it cannot be resorted to with success in the summer ; hunting with dogs, for similar reasons, can only be partially successful. The best and most reliable agent Mr Teschemaker discovers in the natural enemy of the rabbit — the ferret, the weasel, the stoat and others, and he goes on to elaborate a scheme by which the breeding of these animals in large numbers could be accomplished. It is not necessary that wa should refer to it at leugth, but we may say that it appears to be quite feasible. That some drastic measures will have to be taken to reduce the proportions of the rabbit pest seems to admit of no doubt, and our friends in the South ousjht to be energetically seconded in tbf efforts they are now making in that; direption, ■ At the same time, this agitation ought to induce us to look around and endeavour to guage the possibilities of a " rabbit nuisance" here. Hitherto the disposition on the part of bunny to increase and multiply has been measured by the .ability of our youths to shoot _ and j t<a£,j;he prospective enemy, but if y$ ■ finli}/the balance inclining in favour of the rktyft, vfi flugjtf fa fipploy , a remedy fßjfyifc", ■ , < '.rV. : , A 1

There was no sitting of the Native Lands Court, Cambridge, yesterday.

Echoes from the Cafe will be found on the fourth page of this issue.

It will be seen by advertisement that tho World's Circus is to appear at Nganiawahia to-morrow night, and at Hamilton on Thursday and Friday.

At the request of a number of the b'lrgosaes, the Mayor of Hamilton has convened a public meeting for Monday evening next at the Public Hall, to take into consideration fcha management of the hall, and the appointment of trustees for the brass b.ind instruments.

The second public baptism by total imiDer^ioJi in connection with the Hamilton congiegation of the Evangelical Association of New Zealand took place on Sunday afternoon at CoateV landing, on the Waikato river. Hix adults received the rite of baptism. A large number of people were present to witness the proceedings.

Colonel Reader, Commissioner of Armed Constabulary, Mr Superintendent Thomson and Capt. Anderson, Quaitermaster of the A.C. Force, wore pasbengers> to Hamilton by ye&terday's train. Col. Reader and Cu.pt. Anderson proceeded to Cambridge. Mr Thomson, who is on a round of inspection, remained at Hamilton for the night. The Hon. Dr. Pollen was also a passenger for Cambiidge yesterday.

Referring to Mr Edward Wakefield on Friday morning: the Auckland Herald spoke of him as the member for Timaru. On Friday afternoon the Star corrected its contemporary and informed the public that Mr Wakefield is " member for Geraldine." Of course, most people know that the honourable gentleman holds a scat in the House as the representative of Selwyn.

A short time ago Mr Lewis O'Neill forwarded to the Colonial Analyst a,t Wellington several roots of white Silesuui sugar beet, grown in his gaiden at Claudelands, Hamilton, and yesterday he leceived the result, as follows :— " White Silesian beet for sngar. Sugar per cent 7.41. The loots, three in number, are of very good .shape, clean, and not too large. The sugar is lower than one would expect, probably they were not quite ripe. (Sgd) W. Skey." Last year Mr O'Neill got a icturn of 14 per cent, and the seed used this last season was supposed to be supenor, having beon obtained fiom Cieim.xny. The reason assigned by Mr Skey, coupled with the extremely wet weather experienced during the summer, will no doubt account for the poorness of the leturn.

The would be suicide, W. Atkinson, was brought down from Oxford by Constable Dillon on Fiiday night, and on Saturday was brought before Capt. Corbett,' .T.P., and remanded for seven days. It was a man named Collins, and not Mr Fallen, as at first leported in Cambridge, who lescued Atkinson from diowning. Atkinson had been working a few days for Mr Fallon, and occupied the same tent as Collins, who was told by some of the other navvies early on Friday morning that ln\ mate was in the river. Collins found him dinging to a snag, and brought him out. Atenvaid-. Atkinson was confined in a loom adjoining MuManns' Hotel, and while there attempted to cut Ins throat. Smith, who was watching him, took the Kuoi fioni him, and nearly lost three fingois in doing so. Atkinson has a cut about three inches long on the 1 lght side of his neck, and a small one under his. chin, neither of which are dpep or dangeious.

He is being attended by Dv Cushney. We have been favoured with a perusal of a very interesting lepnit of the case of Mis Ryan, of Hamilton, which has been predated by Dr. Beale for tlie Lancet. The case excited considerable inteiest in this district at the tune, and we aie informed that it possessed many features of inteiest to the medical piofession. It will be lemenibeied that the operation of double ovaiiotomy wai performed on Mis Ryan last month by Dr. Hames, assisted by Drs. Beale and Blunden, .and Mr R. I<\ Sandes, and that it was a peculiaily difKcult and dangeious one, the tumoui^iemoved weighing together no less than 3'Jlbs. Since that tune the patient has been in chaige of Di. Beale, and her rapid rrcoveiy is looked upon as remarkable. One month and thiee d«iy*> after the opeiafcion, that is to say, on Saturday last, the patient had so far reco\ered that she walked thiee n.iles, though it may be added, against the advice of her medical attendant. It is assumed that the excellence of the Waikato climate has had a gi eat deal to do with the patient's rapid pi ogress towards convalescence.

"Dagonet" writes in Truth: -I have been considerably astonished in the course of some recent visits to the Seven Dials to find that quite a large number of young ladies of the neighbourhood have lovely yellow or golden nair. "Goldenhair girk " have not hitherto been common objects of this locality, and I failed to detect in the parents of the beautiful females in question any trace of shniLuly hued tresses. The niy&tery was made clear to me one day as I was making some inquines in a chemist's shop in the neighbourhood. There entered a young Lidy with a penny in one hand and a ciacked te.vcup in the other, and in these startling words she addressed the proprietor of the establish men t, "A penu'oith o' guiding \ur wash, please !" The chemist took the penny and he took the cup. iU id '"to the latter he pureel a tablespoonfnl of a peculiar looking fluid, with which the maiden depaited smiling, and whistling "Tiddyfollol." I intiu'iogated the chemist, and from him I gathered the staithng information that he sells as many as three hundred penn'oiths of "golding 'air wash" in a week, and it is invariably fetched m a teacup. I undeustaud now how it is that the Seven Dials' garden of gills has buisfc out suddenly into a wealth of " golding air."

The following special messages to the Press Association, dated London, March 21st, 22nd and 23id, have been published :— Mr Powell's expedition to New Guinea is delayed for want of funds.— The colonies not having yet agreed to contribute the £10,000 per annum, has delayed the appointment of a High Commissioner for the Pacific. — The Victoiian torpedo boats having been tested at Portsmouth, will be shipped to the colony about three weeks hence. The gunboat's will not be required at Suakim, and have therefore proceeded to Aden.— The Chartered Bank of Australia has declared a dividend of 5 per cent., and has carried £2500 in the reserve fund. After providing for all losses, this will leave a reserve fund of £20,000.-- The frozen meat ex Victory is realising from Sid to Gd per 1b. — Several carges of wheat have been hold at 41s, and the Parramatla's is being slowly disposed at 45«. — The Land and Loan Company of New Zealand, with a capital of one million, has bsen i egiitered. — The Parnellites welcomed the reappearance of Mr J. E. Redmond in the House of Commons. — Mr Gladstone's progress towards recovery is very slow. — Lord Thurlow's motion in the House of Lords, in favour of opening museums on Sunday, was rejected by a majority ot eight,— ln the Hou»>o of Commons, a motion by Mr Willib, member for Colchsster, in favour of the exclusion of Bishops from the House of L )vds, was rejected by a majority of eleven.— Signor Depretis has undertaken the formation of a new Italian Cabinet.— The a.s. Austral has been entirely refitted at Greenock, and furnished with every latest improvement. In her trial she registered seventeen knots an hour. — Sir Stafford Northcote and Earl Cairns are both suffering from catarrh.

The first meeting of the creditors in the bankrupt estate of Peter Henry and William Allen was held at the office of the deputy assignee, "Waikato Times Buildings, Hamilton, yesteidity, The chair was taken by the deputy assignee, Mr j, S, Ddgecmnbe, and there were about a dozen creditors present, in person or by proxy. The total liabilities (unsecured) were set down at £501 Is lOd, and the seemed creditors (wages) at £49 Os lOd. The assets were shown at £203, made up as follows :— Stock-in-trade, tools, &c. (estimated), £13 ; book debts (£239 10s), estimated to produce £1(10 ; furniture of Henry, £15 ; furniture of Allen, £15. The principal creditors are : P t LeQuesne, £180 Is lOJd ; Scott and do*, £IQ3 ; W, F. Bell, £5414s ; and J. R. E. tfatriok, £61 lfr 3d. ' The debtors are drainage contractors, and ha.va been wflrking at Woodlands, and the book debts consisted chiefly of money due on contracts, and owing by natives to whom advances of stores had been made. The amount said by debtors to be owing by the Land Association, ip £160, but according to the showing of the company's manager, it is only £87, less £60, whigtj. iyiU b,e required to complete the work left unfinished. The assignee sajd flje b,oqks had' bean kept in a very pough way, and he had not been able to compile a statement yet. In answer to questions by Mr Le Quesnej 'Henry said he had sold a horse to pay the preliminary expenses of the bankruptcy, and Allen said he had never owned jv certain horse referred to. In answer to the same gentlemen, both debtors expressed their willingness to sell their t b.nusehold t furniture for £l& each, 'This creditors ijaving

nolds, the Land Association's manager, and ' the debtors to givo evidence before him, the meeting, which was the first held in Hamilton under the new act, terminated.