Control Of Nassella By Counties Favoured

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30430, 2 May 1964, Page 6

Control Of Nassella By Counties Favoured

NasselJa tussock control outside the area of the existing nassella tussock boards should be through county councils rather than new tussock boards, considers the North Canterbury Catchment Board which decided yesterday to convey this as its “strongly favoured” opinion to the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Taiboys). The board had asked the Minister to recommend to the Government to finance tiie board’s nassella tussock eradication proposals on McLean's

Island. The Minister replied that he could not make this recommendation, but the Government was still studying the possibilities of giving assistance in some form to landowners in areas outside the territory of the two existing Nassella tussock boards, either by establishing another board or providing a subsidy through county councils. The board decided to make a further approach to Mr Talboys expressing disappointment at his answer, and telling him that the board would continue with control work on the Waimakariri, apart from McLean’s Island, and would ask for retrospective subsidy when the Government decided on its policy. Of the alternatives suggested by the Minister for the assistance of landowners, the board strongly favoured a subsidy through county councils. Ambulance Mileage Up Ambulances of the Canterbury St. John Ambulance Association travelled 11,875 miles in April, compared with 9808 miles for the same period last year. The ambulance carried 1303 patients for the month this year and 1471 in 1963. Fifty-six motor accidents involving 71 persons occurred in April. In the same month in 1963, 68 accidents involved 83 persons. Miscellaneous accidents were considerably up on last year’s figures—47 as compared to 23.

Steward Fined.—Francis McLellan, aged 19, an assisttant steward, was fined £5 for casting offensive matter when he appeared before Messrs A. M. Miller and L. J. Shuker, Justices of the Peace, in the Magistrate’s Court, Lyttelton, yesterday.