WILD RABBITS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), 21 May 1881, Page 3

WILD RABBITS.

[To the Editob of the Daily Telegraph.] Sir, —It is painful to see how personal and interested motives influence men even in this age of supposed enlightenment. Unless an affliction is at the threshold of some men's bouses, they cannot, or will not, see how seriously others are affected by it. Although the columns of the Australasian tell what frightful devastation has been brought about by wild rabbits in Australia ; although it is known that runs down South, which used to carry thousands of sheep, are now deserted, that but one vessel now loads for wool when four used to ; although our neighbors at Wairarapa are being heavily taxed to meet tbis scourge, its settlers telling every one plainly that the infliction of scab is child's play to master as compared to that of wild rabbits, here we in Hawke's Bay remain in a state of torpid indifference to the known march of these pestiferous animals towards us. Long ago, ever so long, commissioners were appointed to levy an assessment to meet the flickering fear of an inroad of wild rabbits. An assessment was levied and banked, apparently, for the sole benefit of shareholders. More than a month ago a public meeting was held at Wainui, and resolutions were passed and forwarded to the Rabbit Commissioners, but to this day no effect has been given to these resolutions. One of these commissioners has been known to ■ay he had taken a trip to Wairarapa daring this summer; had gone through the Forty-mile Bush; had not seen a rabbit from Woodville to , Masterton, and had asked the landlord of the Ekatabena Hotel if there were any wild rabbits about, and the answer he had got there were none ! But what are we to think when Mr A. St. Hill • says publicly and privately that he went for a trip to Wairarapa about the same time, and on his ride back from Masterton to Woodville he saw numbers of rabbits all along the road from Masterton to Ekatahuna? He asked the hotelkeeper if there were any quantity of rabbits at Ekatahuna, and he replied yes, but they could not be caught for the cover was too thick; that he saw clear evidence of wild rabbits almost up to the Manawatu river. Again, Mr Lyndon cays when he went through the Fortymile Bush he saw wild rabbits running across the road all the way from south of the Manuwatu river to Ekatahuna, and thence to Masterton. Now, Mr Editor, what is to be done to rouse the Hawke's Bay settlers from their drowsy inertness and sleepiness ? In the columns of your paper several communications have lately appeared, and have brought about some private talk on this serious subject, but nothing more. lam told Mr A. St. Hill and Mr Allen Williams went out one day at Te Aute and returned with five rabbits, Mr St. Hill holding they were just such as the wild rabbit is at Wairarapa. Every one says there are rabbits on the Tuki Tuki station, on Te Mata, Mount Erin, Hapuku country, and Milbourne run ; why has nothing been done to rid us of them? No doubt some indulgent father, to find amusement for his daring boya, says they are good sport, the tame rabbits are comparatively harmless ; of course the good never become bad, the inoffensive never come to be offensive, the one never likely to concert with the other. Has not everyone heard what occurred on the railway ? At the terminus where the Wairarapa coach lands it passengers and luggage a lot of wild rabbits was, unknowu to the guard in charge, slipped into the luggage truck. There was no address on the box, and no one claimed it. The guard cared not a straw whether rabbits were imported or not, but he did care that the charge should be forthcoming, so he determined to keep his eye on the box and get paid by the owner. At the end of his allotted line of rail he handed the box over to his brother guard, cautioning him to see full payment for railway carriage was paid before delivery. However some say it was at Te Aute, and others at. Hastings, that our guard was quietly walked away for a few minutes, and whilst hia back was turned, presto, the box and its contents disappeared! Now admitting what sportly parents and others say, that the rabbits on the runs were tame rabbits, how long would they continue so when allied to a box full of chosen wild stud rabbits ? Then as to the increase of hares—why they are as great a trouble to Mr John Russell, South Wairarapa, as rabbits are, and who can say how many hundreds are now ranging about us, when they have already got ninety miles froTi Napier, in a country no dog can catch them, and no sportsman would care to take his gun to shoot tbem.—l am, &c, One or the Assessed. May 19, 1881.