AN ORCHARD ROBBER.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 18, 22 January 1926, Page 8

AN ORCHARD ROBBER.

OPOSSUM AXD FRUIT.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

DUXEDIX, Thursday

At the Xurserymen's Conference the following remit from Masterton was considered:— "That, in the interests of the fruit industry, the conference ask the Government to remove all protection from the opossums, at least in districts near fruitgrowing areas." I n moving its adoption Mr. L. Robinson said it was brought forward to support the fruitgrowers.

Mr. G. A. Green said the opossum was an enemy of stone, citrus and pip fruit. He had seen an orange tree in the Xorth on which the centre of the fruit had eaten out by these animals.

Mr. B. C. Davies, Taranaki, said the opossum was destroying forests in the Xorth. It was eating out the native trees.

Mr. J. A. Campbell, of the horticultural division, pointed out that there had been a regulation which allowed the killing of opossums within a half-mile radius of a registered orchard. It had been found, however, that orchards had been registered solely to give the owners the right to kill the opossum. (Laughter). That had had a very bad effect. Anyone who had a single fruit tree and registered it as an orchard had the right to kill an opossum within half a mile of the tree. The regulations had been relaxed, and the orchardist was allowed to ■kill the animals only within the area of the orchard.

The remit was adopted,