GORSE ON BANKS PENINSULA

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26985, 10 March 1953, Page 10

GORSE ON BANKS PENINSULA

ACTION WANTED BY DEPARTMENT

After hearing plans of i the Department of Agriculture for -dealing with gorse on Banks Peninsula, the Banks Peninsula Federated Farmers’ executive at a recent 'meeting decided to support the department’s campaign and to ask farmers to co-operate. The department’s principal inspector' (Mr A. Forrester) said that unless the gorse problem were tackled seriously much more good land would go out of production. Local bodies on the Peninsula had not taken over the- administration of the Noxious Weeds A ct, and the department wanted * action.

He asked for the backing of the branch and said that an inspection would be made, after which notices would be-sent tij. farmers who had to clear gorse. If a genuine attempt to clear were not made, the >. offenders woyld be prosecuted. The president (Mr A. T. M. Thacker) said that he was very much in favour of the proposed campaign. To Mr A. M. Helps, Mr Forrester said that the department would be in earnest, and did not propose to issue notices and then fail to follow them up. Messrs Thacker and Helps contended that county and Crown land on the Peninsula was among the worst for gorse infestation. Mr Forrester said that the worst areas were in Halswell County.