WILD RABBITS.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18636, 10 March 1926, Page 11

WILD RABBITS.

TO THE BDITOB o» "the press." Sir,—Away back in September, a deputation waited on the Hurunui Rabbit Trustees and stressed the necessity for the maintenance of the Land's End-Maori Gully and the Waitohi Gorge-Hurunui ge fences. So far, the net result of that deputation's endeavour is, as far as one can see, the Trustees' proposal to do away with two main gates and erect rabbit proof wings. If the country doesn't need fences, why the wings? The taking unto themselves of wings—not necessarily rabbit proof wings—by the Trustees may be a consummation "devoutly to be deserved," but not on the Hurunui line. Another deputation, consisting of Mr Jones and others, representing 22 ratepayers, made, representations to the Trustees that the fences which the Trustees proposed to consign to oblivion were privately owned ; and therefore should not be maintained at tbe public expense, and that the country was" clean and needed no fences. The facts are that the to-be-obliterated fences are south of Mr Jones arid his friends, and • that the removal of the said fences will give the rabbits of Mr Jones and his friends—assuming there be such —a more extensive happy hunting ground to the south, thereby relieving Mr Jones arid his friends seem relevant, yea, extremely relevant, especially if a couple of wings be so placed as to direct the rabbits of Mr Jones and his friends in the southern way those rabbits should take. Some time later another deputation—the Trustees appear to be the most fully and respectfully deputationised public body in the Dominion —this from Scargill, told the Trustees that after carefully inspecting the country on either side of the existing fence, it was unanimously against the upkeep of the fence, because there were as many rabbits on one side of it as on the other! If this deputation did what it did off its own bat, and in all sincerity, it is entitled to the sympathy of some —including myself —who have thought otherwise. An excellent opportunity is now available to the deputation of proving its sincerity by re-deputationising the Trustees and—always respectfully, of course-—enquiring strenuously into the necessity for the erection of a mile of new fence! and as the sincerity of Mr Jones and his quota is unquestionable, their next step, of course, must be to make another more or less respectful visit to the Trustees. The half mile of netting proposed to be erected at Horsley Down, at the cost of the ratepayers, is to be erected along the boundary of the property of the chairman of the Trustees—this seems like the "House that Jack built"—and one is prompted to enquire whether, even if wings should enter into the decorative schemes, they are entitled to plant those wings on the property of their chairman? Further enquiry as to who are going to assume; or h e thrust upon them, the liability fencing the plantation and church section alongside the-to-be-discarded gate, would, one feels, be inconsistent with the display of respect to which the Trustees have been accustomed. However, one would be glad to know.-r-Yours, etc.. H. T. LITTLE. Hui" Hui, Woodgrove, March Bth.