Lower Rakaia Rabbit Rates Revised

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30559, 30 September 1964, Page 23

Lower Rakaia Rabbit Rates Revised

Relief for ratepayers in parts of the Lower Rakaia Rabbit Board’s area was given in the classification for the 1964-65 rating year, the board’s newsletter for 1964 said. Because of the revised classifications, the board’s income from rates will be about £350 less than the £5203 struck last year. The classification was done with the intention of providing relief, particularly for ratepayers in the Ellesmere district, whose properties were not generally subject to infestation from the river boundaries. “The largest area in the board, all previously rated at 5d an acre has therefore now been reclassified and approximately 400 ratepayers are now rated at 4d an acre,” the newsletter said. Last year, the rating basis on the hill country and the lake drainage area was 2d an acre oh Rakaia and Fereday’s Islands. This year the hill country and drainage area was Ud and the islands 7d an acre. Of the area under the board’s control which was directly rateable, 20,198 acres was rated at lid an acre,

74,809 acres at 4d, 154,230 acres at 5d and 7959 acres at 7d. There were about 730 ratepayers in the board’s area. Last year, the Government granted nearly £l5OO as its payment towards the rabbiting of Crown lands and the Rakaia riverbed within the board’s boundaries. Kills in the winter of 1963 and in the summer of 1963-64 were very satisfactory and it had not been necessary this winter to carry out any aerial work. Although infestation had been materially reduced in the Rakaia riverbed, this winter’s programme was again concentrated there and along the Selwyn boundary. “This time, however, hand poisoning with 1080 carrots has been carried out as the country infested is, for various reasons, unsuitable, for aerial poisoning,” the newsletter said. More than 500 miles of lines were ploughed during the winter. In the 15 months, ended June 30, 1964, kills by gun and dogs totalled 3771 rabbits and 259 hares. In addition, about 550 opossums were picked up. The lack of rain in recent months had allowed the rabbits to breed more easily and because of the dry weather, the board’s staff were finding rabbits where there were normally none.