The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 1883.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3717, 14 June 1883, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 1883.

TnE legislation of New Zealand is of a very experimental character. For instance, there was a Rabbit Nuisance Act of 1876, another of 1877, another in 1880, and last session there was yet another. In Tuesday's issue we quoted from tho Act of 1681 ; it had escaped our memory that the Act of 1882 had repealed it. This last Act gives power to Inspectors to enter upon Crown lands and to destroy rabbits found thereon ; tho costs and charges to be dofrayed out of moneys appropriated for tho purpose by the General Assembly. The Act gives power to Inspectors to enter upon private lands for tho purpose of ascertaining whether rabbits are there, and to causo a notice to be served on tho owner requiring their immediate destruction. The penalty for neglecting to comply with such notice is not less than £1 nor more £20. A further penalty is imposed for continued neglect of not loss than £5 nor more than £20, and so on for each succeeding period of one month during which thero shall still, in the opinion of the Inspector, bo rabbits on such land. In addition to this penalty the Inspector may enter upon the land and destroy the rabbits, the owners having to pay tho costs. Thero are provisions for compelling these payments by suiug in a Court, and should judgment not be satisfied within three months the Colonial Secretary may certify to the amount to the Public Trustee, who thereupon can sell the land by public auction. The section of the Act to which wo would draw tho attention of settlers in the southern districts is the 25th, which runs as follows:—"Every Inspector, upon being roquired by notice in writing from any occupier or owner of land, and served at such Inspector's usual place of abode, shall attend at any place therein appointed, within a reasonable time after the service of such notice, for tho purpose of ascertaining whether rabbits abound upon tho lands specified by the person who has sent such notice." The Act makes no reference to rabbit districts, as in tho Aot of 1881. An "Inspector" means an Inapoctor of Sheep appointed under tho Sheep Act, 1878, or any Act hereafter passed in lieu thereof, or any person who may bo appointed an Inspector under the Act of 1882; ahd the Governor may appoint any porson to be an Inspector. It may be presumed that, therefore, the sheep districts are coterminous with the rabbit districts, and that tho Inspector for Hawke's Bay has no atithority outside tho .southern boundary of this provincial district. The faot that rabbits have been allowed to rapidly increase in the Akiteo country affords some evidence that the outskirts of the Wellington district are not looked after as sharply as they ought to be. The nature of tho country will allow rabbits to swarm on tho bush hills at the baok of tho open coast lands, and, perhaps, it has not been till lately that the extent of the mischief has been ascertained. For aught any one knows the pest may have already penetrated deeply into tho forest lands, and at any moment rabbits in overwhelming numbers may simultaneously appear on the runs owned by Messrs Ormond, Canning, Mackersey, Hamilton, Gaisford. Purvis Russell, and Sydney Johnston. All these runs skirt the off-shoots of the great Seventy.mile Bush, and unless every possible precaution is taken promptly it may bo that the prosperity of Hawke's Bay is doomed to be a memory of the past.

I Travellers will not find their journeys any the pleasanter through the actions of Licensing Committees during their late annual meetings. The Ormondville Committee refused to license Mr Stevens' house at Makatoku. This house, being close to l the railway station, and boing iv the possession of most respectable people, and so arranged internally that persons who might not be particular as to the lines separating sobriety from, intoxication could not interfere with, nor annoy qufetjy disposed boarders, was one of the most comfortable places on the railway lino. At great personal loss Mr and Mrs Stevens have been keeping the hoxise open for the accommodation of the travelling public, in the hope that the Committee would see tho desirability of granting a license. Unfortunately for travellers, and unfortunately for the general public, tho Committee, apparently, could sco nothing but its own fads and prejudices. The application was refused, but a licenso was renewed to a house in which, if we are correctly informed, the sale of intoxicating liquors is more of a speciality than tho accommodation of the dona jlde traveller, This is tho fruits of narrow-minded prejudice being allowed to direct the judgment of a public body. Mr Stevens is going to close his house and move elsewhere. It does not pay to pro- ( vido food and lodging for travellers; tho profit is alone on tho sale of liquor. If the Ormondville Committee had been consistent, and had shut up every public-hou.se in the district, we should have Baid nothing about it. But when no discrimination whatever is shown travellers havo a right to complain. The Committee ijas ehowu just

as little regard for the convenience of travellers as that of Ormondville. "Joe Herbert's" house at Wainui ana tho public-house at WaUingford have been shut up. Both houses were absolutely urgently needed for the accommodation of travellers.' In Herbert's case it was tho fault of the publican that the license was not renewed. We understand that the house was in a wretched state of dis-repair, and that Herbert had been repeatedly warned that a license could not be granted for it in its then condition. In the case of the house at Wallingford the application was informal, but the Committee instead of adjourning for three weeks to allow of time for a fresh application to be made, chose to close the house altogether! At Taradale the Committee actually discussed the question of refusing to renew any license in the district! It is simply monstrous that men elected to conserve the public convenience should take it upon themselves to denude the country of every convenience existing for the comfort of travellers. At one or two settlements lying between Auckland and the Bay of Islands some " total abstinence '' individuals succeeded in getting on the Licensing Committees, and in closing all tho public-houses in their respective districts. A commercial traveller lately informed us that, when at one of those settlements, he was indebted to a hospitable butcher for a shake-down in tho kitchen, otherwise he would have had to sleep out iv the road. Tho comfortably built hotel was shut up and unoccupied. If tho Act was intended to operate in direct antagonism to the comfort and convenience of travellers the sooner it is amended the hotter, for it must bo understood that, in sparcely settled districts, it can pay no or eto keep a mere boarding-house for chance passers-by.

Mr Perciral Bear, who was elected one of the borough auditors at the recent contest, had the honor yesterday of receiving a telegram from His Excellency the Governor cona'ratulating him on his appointment! What next? A very enjoyable entertainment was held last evening in the Working Men's Club hall, and was well attended. The programme, which consisted of instrumental music, songs, and recitations, was well carried out, ancl tho several performers who took part wore warmly applauded. *j Tho Napier Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association hold their usual weekly meeting to-night, when the programme will comprise a debate on the question—"ls tho severance of Church and State desirable ?" As this is an interesting as well as an important subject there is no doubt but tint a lively discussion will insue. The election of tho member to fill the vacancy on the Waipawa Road Board caused by the retirement of Mr Annand takes place at the Court House, Waipawa, to-morrow. Four persons wero nominated to fill the seat, but Messrs Brighouse and Harwood have since retired from the contest, leaving Messrs Arrow aud Baker to fight-it out. It is probable that Mr Arrow will be selected by the ratepayers to represent them. We wero this day shown tho balancesheet of tho recent dramatic entertainment given at tho Theatre Royal by Napier amateurs for the benefit of the late Mr C. S. Mogridge. The total receipts amounted to £G8 15s, and the expenditure to £11.135, leaving a balance of £57 2s, which amount has been handed over to Mrs Mogridge. It is highly creditable td the management that the expenses wero kopt bo low. Not a single penny was outlaid that could possibly bo avoided. Mr Cunningham's lettor in another column shows that wo did that gentleman unintentional injustice the other day in inferring that he had less experience than Mr Tannor in the administration of local government. So far from this being tho case, it appears that ho has had a great deal more oxperience than his opponent in such matters, and, as we like to see an election fought out on its merits, we- take this opportunity of removing any false impression we may have unwittingly created. Is there any truth in the report that, should Mr Tanner be elected for tho Petane riding, he would use his influence in order to remove -jL the county ofliccs to Hastings ?

A meeting of the Waipawa Road Board was held on Tuesday evening at Waipawa. All the wardens were presont. Letters wero read from Mr J. Burton, manager of the local branch of the Bank of Australasia, and Mr C. Ewcn, local agent of the Bank of New Zoaland, requesting tho Board to placo their names on the rate roll as oocupiors of the respective bank properties. It was decided to place the names on the roll as requested. The Board,- having som« doubts as to whether it is compulsory that tho present Board be dissolved and a new election tako place, owing to changes having been made in tho boundaries of tho road district, it was resolved that tho opinion of Mr Cornford be taken on tho matter. The rate struck at a previous meeting of the Board was confirmed —the rate to be threefarthings in tho £1, and to be payable on Ist July. Tho Chairman, Warden Cowper, and tho clerk (Mr B. B. Johnson) wor« authorised to sign all cheques on behalf of tho Board.