FARMING & COMMERCIAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 89, 9 January 1919, Page 8

FARMING & COMMERCIAL

AUCTION SALES .' FORTHCOMING 'fIXTUEES. I:':-? : TO-DAY. Ppper. Huft,Tajdß,"l p.m.-Stock enle (i\ r .Z. .Loan Co;, and Dalgety and Co.). Tunnel .'Stole .Northland, Wclling-ton, 1.30 •p.m.—Furniture solo (C. \V. Price and . Co.).' "- ■" .■ " 1 ,; jr ;: ; T0:MOBE0W. . . •, ■ Paperansi,; Jolinsohvillo. 1.30 p.m.—Salb of stock^and-implements (N.Z. Loan Co.). ■:.!';?; 'SATURDAY.; ■■- ••■■ • ll&nche'etbr Stables, ,!Feildim»;. 10 a.m.— ' Stud ; sale ■'(Levin and''Co.). ' JipERABBIT ■".'. • increasing in the north ■^"island.

Provisions of the new act

. fieporte from rabbit-infested districts in ■both the North Island and the South i Island indicate that the pest is more ' serious this year than for several. years past. Otago farmers, are. complaining that'the rabbits are moro numerous and ' more destructive .than ever, nnd that the trapping operations, wliilo highly profitable to the m.en actually engaged in them, are not bavjng tho effect desired :' by the owner of)'the land except in some rather rare cases, where the landowner is able to make rabbit-extermination the goal.of the rabbit trapper,. •* ' • ■ Similar complaints are coming from the ■'. Waikato district, where the rabbits have .' been increasing for Bome years past. ! iWaikato farmers are alarmed, since they are finding'that the rabbit can be an '• even more serious'nuieanee , in (he North • Island than in the South Island. The i warm climate and the abundance of feed throughout the whole year suits the rabWt admirnbly. The r.uimaU we flourishing exceedingly in some of the northern districts,, and they :are' rented to be breeding even more rapidly than they do in the south. ; . * • The.Rabbit-Nuisance -Amendment Act, passed by Parliament at tho ■ close of last session, increases the penalties, for failure on the pnrt of. n .landowner to ilwt'-oy the Tabbits on his land after notice has been served upon himby the rabbit inspector. Clause 2 of the Act provides that after a.notice has been served 'it Khali'be the'duty/of the owner forthwith to convinence/'andMhereattai , to continue to do. to the satisfaction-of the ii"-"-" tor all such acts'p.s in the opinion of the insneetor may be rpcessnry '*o d»strnv within the shortest time.possible all_ rabbits that miiy, beon the land mentioned in thp notice, and ; any owner who makes. . default; in so -(lpiiig shall be liable to n ■fine of:not less "thnn .'-85 and not more than £V\S)." This fine imj bo reneiued at any time not than a m^ Hi r"--a conviction, so that the- penalty. -. that threatens the defaulting -landowner i« Tiie'Act- further provides that any area of twenty thousand acres may be constituted, a rabbit'district, provided .that it contains the holdings of not fewer than twenty ratepayers, and that the rate . levied for the purpose of the Rabbit Board controlling • such district may amount .to Id. in the ~£, provided that the total amount payable b/ -any land- ' owner! shall, not-exceed Is. per acre ot his holding. This clause makes it. possible for the landowners in any pnrticnlar district to'attack the 'rabbit nuisance in a methodical and effective way, and , to bring into Hue any owner who is '.neglecting his duty to himself and his neighbours. . ' ./• / ~ • The new' legislation puts greatly extended powers in the hands of the rabbit inspectors, and it appears that some of the farmers are of opinion flint the use of these powers'at the present time would /constitute Bn injustice, owing to the fact that the labour required^.for the destruction of the rabbite is not available. 'The rabbit inspectors are willingto auinittliat the labour .difficulty is acute in many districts, but they are also iirm m their belief, in most cases, .that th'e rabbits ywill'.nover be-destroyed effectively under , the , 'present trapping system. , ' They argue that a trapper who is iiiilo. to make as much as £10 cr .£ls a week during the season- by the sale of rabbits and rabbit-skins cannot be expected to make a similar' i%i<;at|oii impossible for himself in the'following Beaton -by killing the rabbits right out' or thinning their ranks drarHctlly. When; the Rabbit., Nuisance Amendment Bill wae before the House of Representatives last sessiin . the. .'Minister ■of Agriculture stated that he was prepared 'to prohibit the export of rabbits vif that, step was necessary in order to 'rprevenV the '.'farming" of rabbits by .trappers/and even by owners, who are sometimes interested-financially : n the .operations of the trappers they employ. ■■ If the -export market were not open the I rabbited would-'Jiare.no inducement to ileaye colonies in favoured' localities, nnd so defeat tho object of the Ait ur.d the Vpurpos'-?. for which they themselves aro leally ■

' The'rabbit pest is becoming more and wpre pronounced in tho Taihape district, and localities which were ;rmeiical."ly free'from it a few years ago aro being , over-run (eays.an exchange).- Every efjjfort iivbeing made to keep tlio peat in' •check,! but in-»epitej of all precautions I the r,abbits contiiiiio to increase. One \Btatioa.-; manager has stated' that the , to ,kecp down the i rabbits , on hie station . uniounU; •lo j JEIOOO. ■■■ At one time only the big hold(irgs were troubled to any great extent, I but now... rabbits way be seen close.td the town,'in localities which had never previously been troubled.

NEWS AND NOTES