SOUTHLAND AFFAIRS. DOGS AND RABBITS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 148, 19 December 1907, Page 7

SOUTHLAND AFFAIRS. DOGS AND RABBITS.

PLEA FOR GREATER INVERCARGILL. [Bt TEwoßArn.— Special to The Post.") INVERCARGILL, This Day. Some years ago an Antarctic expedition brought bade 45 sleigh dogs, which were committed to tho care of Mr. Traill, Ringa Ringa, Patterson's Inlet. The original mob died, but nine of tho progeny have been pressed into the service of the Nimrod expedition and have been shipped to Christchurch. , Wharawhara (Rabbit Island) at the entrance to Patterson's Inlet, has long been the haunt of many rabbits which were said to be blest with a peculiar* delicacy of flavour. Disease appears to have overtaken them, and those who should know say that the few bunnies that remain are no more than skeleton caricatures of their former selves. The outcome of the Park Drain Commission is interesting. The Avenal Borough objected to the proportion of charges it had to bear under the allocation of 1901, and asked for revision. After considerable enquiry, Mr. M'Carthy, S.M., now recommends that the total cost of managing, maintaining, repairing, improving, and reconstructing drains and outfall be divided into forty equal parts; that one of these be paid by the county, two by Avenal, three by North Invercargill, six by East Invercargill, and twenty-eight by Invercargill. The effect is that the county's proportion is roduced one-fortieth. Avenal's two-fortioths, and North Invercargill seven -fortieths; East Invrreargill remains tho same, and the city's proportion has been increased ten-fortieths. In addition ' to this, central borough will have to pay £95 odd' out of the total costs of the commission (£136 12s), which led the magistrate to say. and a great many oilier people to think, that a recurrence of this dispute is convincing argument in favour of the early creation of a Greater Invercargill. Further illnstratio:i of the same argument may be found in the enormous cost and trouble of dealing with six local bodies in tho matter of an order-in-council for the Her.' tramway. InvercimjiH is a small place, and this multiplication of local authorities is absurd.