H.—lB

3

flicting; given certain conditions it may be employed to advantage, but the evidence available does not show that it can be depended upon in all cases. Fencing, where the country is adapted to it, must afford a valuable check ; and when erected upon private properties the rabbits can be destroyed without the danger of their being again suddenly overrun, as frequently occurs where no obstacle to their advance exists ; and it is a question whether the expenditure incurred in continuous destruction would not become eventually far in excess of what the first outlay would be in protection against the plague. Were wire-net fencing included in the schedule to the Fencing Act, many would avail themselves of this protection which the fact of it not being a legal fence precludes. With the view to retrenchment and to meet present requirements, a considerable number of agents and some Inspectors have been dispensed with; for this object an amendment to the present Act is proposed, which, by simplifying proceedings, will render it more workable with a much smaller staff, save time in dealing with delinquents, and leave more money available for other purposes, such as the purchase of natural enemy, &c. The results of the past year's proceedings show that, although the pest is still slowly making fresh headway, yet their numbers on the previously-infested country are, as a rule, less, and the increase of sheep, good lambing and clip, speaks for itself; but yet, the fact remains that the pest is still, and must be, an annual tax upon the owners of properties as well as on the State, and that some inexpensive factor, in the shape of disease or natural enemy, is required as a destroyer to abate this continual drain on the principal industry of the colony. A statement of expenditure, &c, is attached hereto. I have, &c, Benj. P. Bayly, Superintending Inspector. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington.

4 APPENDICES.

APPENDIX A. Statement of Expenditure, &c., for the Year ended 31st March, 1887.

Geuebal Remarks.—Payments to agents, labour, material purchased, and other contingencies not included in this expenditure. It is impossible to give the number of skins from each district; but the total export for the whole colony from the Ist April, 1886, to the 31st March, 1887, is shown herein, as exported from the different ports. The number of rabbit-skins exported during year ended 31st March, 188G, was 8,892,372, of the value of £81,847. The number of ferrets released on Crown lands by Government during last financial year was 1,922, and over 8,000 ferrets are known to have been released by private owners,

District. CJ O •> r^ U O O w Amounting to if Bo . CD I'M hi ! Quantity sold. tfl U) M " d tH *m p Mfsq « o o m t=S M O fl 00 -g CD O CD iH Value. H ffl'H • H M (D Auckland ... Napier Wellington Wairarapa North Wairarapa South Nelson Blenheim ... Kaikoura ... Lyttelton ... Damara Palmerston Dunedin ... ISfaseby 31yde fuapeka ... Balclutha ... [nvercargill Southland ... £ ib. 3 lb. 14 lb. 33 £ Acres. 10,000 9 5 3 1 184 41 28 12 35 3 140 140 55 63 100 544,712 4,325 30 31 235 123 105 3,689,982 17,170 24,544 163 4,'000 1 3 2 1 5 1 46 114 108 7 794 72 4 10 86 10 io 7 4,376,228 35,375 17,'COO 26,000 640 75,260 50,000 15,000 432,000 64,000 270,000 9 9 25 177 200 532 20 124 214 97 217 70 20 130 10 69 400 63 405 299 272,'600 1,839 Totals 74 2,315 849 901 1,635 8,900,692 66,246 963,900