NOXIOUS WEEDS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 121, 16 February 1920, Page 8

NOXIOUS WEEDS

A PRESSING PROBLEM SERIOUS INCREASE IN MANY DISTRICTS

Weeds are reducing the carrying capacity of the laid-down pastures of tho Dominion by at least ten per cent., according to a reliable authority, and the evil is becoming more serious year by year. Tho spread of noxious weeds during recent years has been particularly rapiu and is causing serious anxiety among the farmers, who are being forced (o realise that their properties, in many cases, are suffering deterioration through tho increased distribution of the pests. The situation is stated to be particularly bail in the cast coast districts of the North Island, whero vast areas of rich lanu nro becoming so much weed-infested that I cost of cleaning looks almost prohibitive sports on this subject from various districts suggest that the administration of the Noxious Weeds Act lately lias been very far front effective. It is stated, indeed, that the Act has been almost a dead letter for several years past. This is not admitted officially, but it is on record in a Departmental report that shortage of labour lias caused "a partial standstill" in the operations of the Act." A Dominion reporter learned in a wellinformed quarter that the position is regarded by Departmental officers as sufficiently serious to demand early and special attention. But it is by no means ciear that effective action is within the reach of the Agricultural Department at the present time. The inspection of noxious weeds was for long a part of tho duty of the fields division. The reorganisation undertaken last year i included tho merging of the fields division in tho live-stock division, in order that one staff of inspectors might deal with stock, weeds and rabbits. The change has "abolished a considerable amount of overlapping that formerly existed, and it is considered to have been justified by results. But naturally it has not overcome the real difficulty in the treatment of noxious weeds, namely, the shortage of labour. Tho position from the point of view of the Department is stated in a report made by the assistant-director of the late fields division. "The difficulties attending the administration of the Noxious Weeds Act do not decrease," states tho report, "and it is becoming moro and mora apparent that the Act cannot be administered in its present form with an equal degree of severity in every district or against every individual. As it stands, much has -to lie left to the discretion of the inspector, but this discretion is apt to be abused. In some districts so much discretion has been used that weeds seem to have got hopelessly out of control, simply because those administering tho Act have not carried out their duties in a. judicious manner even tempered with a certain amount of discretion. Shortage of labour has for some seasons past doubtless beon tho cause of a partial standstill in the usefulness of tho Act. Inspectors generally have been alivo to this and the consequent difficulties undqr which landowners have been placed, and have not strictly pressed its requirements. It has often been suggested .that tho administration of the Act should be placed in tho hands of local bodies, but it is very questionable if such is feasible or practicable. Members of these bodies are often so situated that it would probably press hardly on themselves, and they would therefore be disinclined to carry out the provisions of the Act against themselves. It is found that in cities, boroughs, and townships there is great trouble in having weeds attended to, and these are a constant menace to adjoining properties and districts. All classes of weeds are found growing ill them.

"Legislation is required to deal in some way with absentee* properties, which are to 1)0 found in every inspectorate and generally bccome overgrown with weeds that are never attended to, and are conscquently a source of annoyance to adjoining owners and to inspectors. In some instances notices have been posted on the properties, and after a time the weeds cloared under the Act by tho inspector, but the difficulty is in recovering tho cost, even if tho owner might be found. The Act also requires amending to provide for the control of weeds on foreshores and river margins—that is, where there are strips of land between a forcshoro and a public road, or between a river or creelc and a public road. Harbour boards and comty' councils or road boards nearly always disclaim liability in such cases. Noxious weeds on Crown lands are still a cause of great annoyance and irritation to the public, and the position in this matter demands attention." j Tho inspectors of the Department aro doing their work, but tho Act undoubted: ly haa been virtually at n standstill in many districts owing to the obvious im-]x\-V'wlity of securing compliance t>ith notices for the removal of weeds. ':'h>. inspector may issue a notice, and if ho took tho case to court ho might secure the infliction of a penalty on the landowner for failure to deal with noxious weed? as specified in tho schedule of tluAct. But he knows that the farmer cannot get all the labour required for the normal working of tho farm, ;nuch less tho labour necessary for a spccial to clear weeds. The shortage of jnboii' is tlie key to the trouble, according to the official view. The shortage of labour, as it happens, has been aggravated by the other pest, the rabbit. .Uuch of v.'bat may be called the floating labour of the farm districts has been attracted to tho occupation of rabbiting by tho extraordinary high prices now paid lor rabbit skins. "The amount of monsy that is being made out of rabbits .it ■ho present time is almost fabulous. It .6 stated tjiat skins to the value of .£25,000 were taken off one big station last year. The trappers make big cheques, and they arc content, in many eases, to rest during tho oft' season. The diversion of their labour to rabbiting is it-ally n drain upon the limited supply of labour available for tho agricultural and pastoral industries of the Dominion. "The Department is alive to the situation. and something will have to 'be done to cope with it," said the .Minister of Agriculture (lion. W. Nosworthy) when tho spread of noxious weeds wa.s mentioned to him by a Dominion uporter. "There is not the least doubt that tho noxious weeds have increased to a very serious extent during the war. I think that most of the farmers arc fully alive to tho danger. But the shor.t.ge of labour, which has favoured the weeds during recent years, has not been remedied, and the farmers, without adequate supplies of labour, cannot cope cftectively with the weeds. That is the crux of the matter. The position will have to 1)0 faced, and, as I havj said, something will have to bo done. The problem is not an easy one to solve." The Minister added that increasrd settlement vas one way of coping with the difficulty, uie more people there were on the land the Icsa cluu'ce vas there of the spread of noxious woods. But in the meantime lie was well aware that plants and *ee<la to bo found in the schedules ct the Noxious Weeds Act had so lirm a hold upon large areas oi land that Iho tanner scarcely cared to face the cost of cleaning, ov-ili il' lalxiui- were obtainable.