Name change mooted

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33276, 13 July 1973, Page 8

Name change mooted

Pest destruction boards are basically rabbit boards and last week’s annual conference of the South Island Pest Destruction Boards’ Association, by 57 votes to 54, narrowly defeated a remit from the North Canterbury boards’ council seeking consideration of an alteration in the name of the pest destruction movement. Mr J. E. Mannering, in speaking to the remit, said that they wanted to get “rabbit” back into the name. Mr R A. Chaffey said that the Act under which the boards operated would have to be changed. The word “pests” had been introduced

so that other animals could be covered by the movement, but it was no easier to do this now’ than it was when the change in name was made. It was also Mr Chaffey’s view that officers employed by the boards through their institute would like the word rabbit put back. But a spokesman for the officers’ institute said that while, as far as he was concerned, the rabbit was their first concern, it was the word “destruction” in the title Agricultural Pests Destruction Board that was a matter of concern to them. He suggested that for an officer to say that “I represent the destruction board” did not create the most favourable image and it might be that the movement could take a lead from Australia where boards were called pasture protection boards.