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Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 14 August 1924, Page 9

One almost gasps at the calm official statement legardmg prickly near in Queensland the Brisbane correspondent or the Melbourne Age. The chairman, of the board, Mr W. L. Rayne, alter a very careful study, puts the acreage affected nunc or less seriously at bi,-)(>!),()<)() acres, and the estimated annual spread at 837,328. The affected area has now been placed under the: control of the Prickly Pear Land Commission, which is getting to work poisoning, utilising the caehmeal insect, and encouraging ring occupation and digging out. It isT not easy to appreciate the meaning of the spiead when spoken oi m. millions of of acres, but Mr Payne has given a concrete formula—a daily average increase of dense infestation by 1873 acres. It seems that the commission will concentrate very largely on the check of the ■spread of the nest. We have drought trouble, and dingo and blowy pests, low prices of cattle, high costs of fencing wire and netting, hut the great cloud on the west of Queen slan dis the pfickly near. The Government finds that to induce people to clear infested land and to rigidly check any fresh growth it must he very liberal. It cannot afford to he otherwise.