WAR ON ANIMAL PESTS

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28128, 17 November 1956, Page 9

WAR ON ANIMAL PESTS

EXTENSION OF RABBIT BOARDS

OARO FARMER’S VIEW

An extension of the functions of rabbit boards to include the eradication of all animal pests is suggested by Mr W. M. Dowle, of “Makura,” Oaro, in a letter to “The Press.”

“In some districts the rabbit boards have been successful in reducing the rabbit population to such an extent that ratepayers will soon expect to get some relief from one of their many burdens,” he writes. “It is hoped that this can be done: but in those areas which are troubled by other pests surely no objection would be raised to using the present rates for controlling these?”

Mr Dowle said that the country heavily infested with opossums stretches from Pelorus Sound to possibly as far south as Bluff, but that onh a small part of this area is under the control of rabbit boards. To abtain complete coverage. presen board areas Would have to be extended and new boards formed, and as large areas of opossum country were under the control of the Forest Service, the Department of Internal Affairs, and the Lands Department, and as no rates were paid on this land, a good deal of Government assistance would be required. Where farmers were finding opossums, goats, pigs, deer, or wallabies a serious pest, Mr Dowle said, he had no doubt that they would not object to contributing their share to the cost of controlling them, but he added it was unfortunately true that “the largest areas wKich serve as breeding grounds for all our pests are State forests, reserves under Internal Affairs Department control, unoccupied Crown lands, and some areas of occupied land which do not give sufficient return to stand the expense of controlling or eradicating these pests.” Mr Dowle says that Government departments would benefit most from control of animal pests, and should therefore make the largest contribution to the cost, but from past experience local board control was more efficient than direct control from Wellington, although the Department of Internal Affairs had had some success with deer culling. “Is not the most acceptable and most effective solution the forming of our existing rabbit boards into noxious animal boards, with the establishment of boards in other areas to give complete coverage?” he asks. “Each board in its own area would concentrate its activities on its most serious pest, while still waging war against any others it had the misfortune to be troubled by. Manpower would undoubtedly be a problem, but the combining of pest eradication under board control would allow full use of available staff at all times. The conditions for successful attack will vary from season to season, and when nothing further can be done against one pest for the time being another animal could very well be effectively dealt with. A much more efficient use of manpower than our present divergent efforts! The boards could retain their rating powers and Government subsidy would still be needed in addition to a proportionate contribution by the Government departments concerned.”