DEVALUING OF OPOSSUM

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29916, 1 September 1962, Page 13

DEVALUING OF OPOSSUM

Strong Criticism Bv Coast Farmers

Strong criticism of a letter received from the Minister of Forests (Mr Gerard) was voiced at the Quarterly meeting of West Coast Federated Farmers in Grevmouth yesterday morning. The letter was in connexion with onossum poisoning. and the Minister said he was disappointed that the executive was dissatisfied with the progress of aerial po’soning Mr V Hawker described the devaluing of the opossum as ’••he last straw” so far as Westland was concerned, and even terms were used by Mr P J O’Regan who said that, having regard to the economic position of the W«st Coast any legislation which would cut the area off from the markets of the w—ld was just “damn folly ” The Minister advised that the aerial poisoning programme was estimated tn cos’ f-om £30.000 tn £40.000 for the West Coast, whereupon Mr Hawker said that 'he b unty system was costing about the same However this covered the whole of the West Coast whereas the poisoning scheme was operated upon a progressive basis from area to area

200 Trapped Quickly The chairman (Mr H C Marshall' expressed the opinion that the only wav in which the opossum could be controlled in the back coun ,-v was by aerial poisoning However he was concerned about the decommercialisation of ’he onossum altogether Mr Hawker quoted a recent experience where opossum® had attacked a turnip paddeck He and a companion had set traps and ca’’?bt 200 in a short time He contended that private trapping was the onlv effective method of non’mlling the pest Mr O’R-gan said that half a crown for a token was saving the ccuntrv thousands of pounds bv m-’kmg werk for idle hands There were hun-d-eds looking for tokens and the tried scheme was well w-»r*h continuing until aerta’ po'soning was proved to be effer’ive

High Price In London Mr Hawker said he had re-'-ntly consigned a bale of skins to London He had received advice that momin'’ that the best blues were f-.chi"” no to 38s each; the best g-eys un to 445: and the t'-ns of the darks up to 6d Dealers on ’he Wes’ Coast were paying 6s to 7s for ordinarv skms It was just absolute waste to devalue the onossum He had b c en advised that the on’lnck for ’he market was p od and it would continue tn be pond until ’’ l“’St next February said Mr Hawker

H wa« deridyd *o o-o*es* viynro’tslv *o the Government through ’he Dnm’nion b'dy against the decommercialisation of the opossum