LUPIN IS A GODSEND

Feilding Star, Volume 6, Issue 1354, 14 March 1928, Page 5

LUPIN IS A GODSEND

DECLARES A DEPUTATION COUNTY COUNCIL DISCUSSION The montiiTy meeting of tho Manawatu County Council yesterday was held partly for the purpose oi confirming a special order declaring ilupin a noxious weed, hut prior to dealing with this matter a deputation of ratepayers) comprising Messrs H. Bond, A. Brook—Taylor and Leo Itobin, waited on the Council in protest. - “Lupin is a godsend on our sand Country,” declared Mr Bond, who instanced cases in which; settlers had been threatened by drifting 'anti. Lupin planted along the sand faces ,<t become established sufficiently to check the drift, and moreover had succeeded where other plants had failed. The' time was 110 b opportune, said Mr Bond, for the declaration of Gnpin as a. noxious weed and he urged the Council to inlh consider the matter before doing so. Unlike gorse or blackbberrv, the lupin could easily be got rid of and its spread could he easily checked. Mr Robin also pointed out the very useful' purpose lupin served in sand country while Air Brooke-fa;v lor generally supported the deputation against lupin as a noxious weed. The chairman, Cr \V. E. Barber, observed that stitch, a deputation was somewhat out of order. Ihe Coined had received no. opposition to its proposal which had been publicly in dicated lor several months. At its last meeting a special order was passed and now at this meeting, when afl necessary formalities ueie being finalised, the Council received a protest. Dealing with the reasons advanced why lupin should not he declared a noxious weed Ci ■ Barber said these did not waive his decision in the least. The man who had dean nlnd should have the right to tell his neighbour with dirty rilncl to clear it and to have the lav behind him) to see that he was afforded some protection. He admired that in certain eases lupin had served a very useful purpose but on going through, the. county it was plain to the eye that many settlers * had been guilty of a gross neglect in allowing the weed to spread..

“Lot this matter rest for the next 10 years without action,” argued Cr.' Barber. “W hv, we would hare/ no land paying rates at all. No. Your reasons are not sufficient and my idea that lupin, is noxious weed remains unshaken.”

Cr. J. F. McKeyvie while supporting the proposal to declare lupin a noxious weed, agreed that in his case 'hundreds of acres of good land had been saved from sand by the check provided by the weed. ‘ f might say, however,” continued Cr. Mc.Tvolvic, “that T was never so

foolish as to> let it get out of hand. On the sand drift lupin is one of our best, friends. On the good, land one of our worst.”

“We might well ask how lupin cam© to this! end of Lho county,” continued the chairman. ”1 noticed, a metal' dump near Podding obsolutely covered in lupin. . That metal came from the Oroun. river which is full, of the weed.” Although a noxious weed if declared bv the Council Cr. Barber felt sure that the provisions of the Act would not be carried into effect where lupin was serving a legitimately useful purpose, as for instance, the chocking of sand drift. A. man may grow a gorse hedge provided of course that ho kept it trimmed and checks 1 ir« spread. Gorse was a noxious weed but as a hedge served a useful purpose.

The Noxious \Veeds Act was right and proper, said Mr Brook-Taviar, but in the hands of an unscrupulous inspector to- enforce might he afl wrong, if lupin became a noxious weed lie believed there would possibly he as tendency to persecute the unfortunate property holder. Or. J . H. Perrett: Such a. state of affairs must not be feared in this' county. At the same time we arc aiming to protect our ratepayer wit' clean land and give him the right to demand his neighbour to -.emove a menace.

“Everybody believed that when the rabbit boards were formed Ihe farmer would be forced off his land, ’ said Or. J. Boyce, likening his remark to tlie objection to lupin as a noxious weed. ‘There is not a farmer to-day who is not congratulating the rabbit boards on tlie work thev have done.” The speaker proceeded that there could he no hardship imposed and saw no sound reason against the proposal. Mr Bond urged that the case of the rabbit uoards was) no criterion from which to pass judgment on lupin. Ragwort was becoming a far more, serious) matter and yet its spread in the Manawatu was becoming. more pronounced. “It is in thei best interests of our county to do something which will slop~the spread of lupin,” concluded the chairman with -finality, “and t see no reason why this order should not now be confirmed.” Mr Bond: Very well, sir, we will

simply have to abide by your decision. Th© deputation then withdraw.