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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3736, 6 July 1883, Page 2

We arc not at all sure (hat Mr Ormond's amendment was so well calculated to deal with the rabbit pest as were the resolutions passed at the Porangahau meeting. With that portion of tho amendment which proposed to extend the Ha.wkc's Bay district to tho Akiteo river wo entirely agree, for we advocated that extension in these columns some four years ago, when the spread of rabbits from the Wairarapa began to attract attention. In no other way do we sec any chance of efficient government inspection, without which those employed by the inspector are not likely to properly perform their work. Mr Ormond's proposal to extend the Waimuta fence to a distance of fifteen miles is also a good one. But his other proj>osals wore all in the direction of throwing the onus of the rabbit pest on tho Government. The Government was to be requested to do this, aud the Government was to be requested to do that, while everybody knows that as a rule the Government never does anything at the right time. Now tho Porangahau settlers, in the resolutions that thoy passed, showed the strongest possible desire to help themselves. They would insist of course upon the Government compelling its officers to do their share of the work, but what the settlers wanted was to grapple with the danger at once. Tho effect, of Mr Ormond's amendment and jwoposals will bo a delay, and delay in cases of this kind may be a fatal blunder. The mere fact of the existence of rabbits in the Akiteo country is proof sufficient that, no reliance can be placed in tho efficiency of any measures that may he taken under Government auspices. There have been four or five Rabbit Acts, each one worse than its predecessor, and the Act of last year was the worst of all. The Porangahau settlers wanted to take the matter in hand, raise money among themselves, employ bodies of rabbit I ers, and free themselves of the danger with which they are menaced without a moment's loss of time. Whatever assistance that could have been derived from the Act they would have availed themselves of, but mainly they intended to rely on their own united exertions. In this, we venture to think, they should have received tho hearty support of every sheepowner in the province and any amendment that miu'lit have been offered' to their proposals should have been in a direction to strengthen their hands, not to weaken them. There is another point that ought not to be lost sight of, and that is the propriety of offering handsome rewards for the discovery and conviction of persons bringing wild rabbits into the district. The Act provides a heavy penalty, but the difficulty is to discover tho miscreants. It is well enough known that rabbits have been maliciously introduced into this district, and as a measure of selfprotcction such a reward should bo offered for the detection of the crime as would make it worth any person's while to give the necessary information to bring about a conviction.