Opossum Control

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29838, 2 June 1962, Page 10

Opossum Control

A dangerous interval in the : control of opossums may develop between the bounty scheme, which ended last year, and control by rabbit boards, which will become fully effective in 1964. Since last year, rabbit boards have gradually been assuming responsibility, and recently it was reported that 50 boards scattered throughout both islands had been authorised to undertake opossum destruction. All should be engaged by the time opossums have been completely “ devalued ” on March 31, 1964. But at the annua] conference of the New Zealand Catchment Boards’ Association a speaker urged that either rabbit boards should be made responsible for opossum destruction at an earlier date, or that the bounty scheme be reintroduced until March 31, 1964. He said the encroachment of opossums over the last 12 months had been ** frightening " Hundreds of

acres of native cover were being lost.

The question certainly merits the immediate attention of the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Taiboys), who must also examine the financial help given to rabbit boards, dissatisfaction with which may slow down or destroy the scheme. The chairman of the North Canterbury Rabbit Boards’ Council (Mr R. A. Chaffey) said recently: “ Unless the “ farmer-ratepayer considers “he is getting a fair deal “in who pays for opossum “ destruction, the whole “scheme will fall down; it “just won’t work; it will “be killed by passive re- “ sistance ” Farmers believe that the chief sufferers from opossums are forestry interests, market gardeners, and orchardists, but that it is the farmerratepayer who is asked to pay for destroying the pest. The Minister of Agriculture should be aware of the difficulties in opossum control and ready to act quickly to meet them