NOXIOUS WEEDS ACT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 14, 27 October 1932, Page 3

NOXIOUS WEEDS ACT.

REPEAL SUGGESTED. (Special to the “Guardian.”) ' WELLINGTON, Oct. 25. Discussing the Noxious Weeds Act in the annual report of the Department of Agriculture, the DirectorGeneral (JL»r. (J. J. Reakes) says: — “The administration of this Act entails considerable expenditure in tlio endeavour to bring about observance of its requirements, and a review of the position to-day and of tlie results of tlie efforts of past years raises the question whether this expenditure is worth while. In closely 7 settled areas farmers, in their own interests, should keep weeds under proper control, and most of them do so, especially as by the use of sodium chlorate ragwort can now he effectively and economically dealt with. On larger properties, especially in broken country, this weed is still a nuisance, but on tlie whole, it is no longer tlie serious mengards other noxious weeds, blackberry is tlie worst.

“Having regard, to all the circumstances it is believed that no serious results would accrue if the Act, as at present constituted, were repealed and replaced by a measure so framed as to enable adequate measures to be taken to deal with any unforeseen development of serious spread of any existing or newly 7 introduced noxious weed, and to give authority to county 7 councils and urban authorities to take such measures in the event of necessity 7 arising. Local authorities might be unwilling to accept this responsibility on tho score of expense, but the amount involved should he small under ordinary circumstances, amt it would he reasonable to make provision for financial assistance from the Government in the unlikely event of trouble arising to a sufficient extent, to involve active measures and considerable expenditure.

“As a matter of fact, county councils already possess powers enabling them -to deal with noxious weeds. They also have powers to declare any plant, other than blackberry, not to he regarded as noxious weeds within theii district, and this has been exercised to a sufficient extent in Otago and Southland to render the Noxious Weeds Act practically a dead letter in those provinces ”