MONEY IN RABBITS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 16 September 1926, Page 8

MONEY IN RABBITS.

HALF A MILLION A YEAR

AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY

••The rabbit is no- altogether a nuisunee unci the unproductive' creatine that people are mad© to believe, . says a writer in the Dunedin Star. Hie farmers curse - the rabbits ‘Which nave infested his country because they lower the productivity of the land. A great deal is said about the \\ ay \ew Zealand money goes to America, and how few dollars come- to this country. The rabbit, is the biggest winner of*' money from the- Americans -for the Dominion, as the United 1 States ,• buys most <>f the skins, and after, aI:V tihe ratbibib is riot such an lniprouable creatin'©. . Southland has unkind' recollections; of the year when the riahbit was first introduced into 1 that province, the first in the colony, for the animal overran the country side, but now about 4000 or 5000, men are employed during tlie whiter trapping rabbits- and -sorting till© skins iii the stores.' . ■- „ Dunedin is the only market ire New Zealand for- the-, sale of rabbi tski'ns'. Fortnightly, sales a-re held, ‘and at -theJune, the‘July,' and the August! sales 1 156,8051 bof skins were sold. Allowing at a very low estimate 6s 8d as the average price per pound, the- valueof the skins sold was £384,600, and with the quantities so-lcl during May and, the sales.to ibe,made, this month, a conservative estimate of the- value of raibbitskins produced! in New. Zealand for t'liitf wi Lite r vwoiJ cl 1 ‘po xtibp.ii t« - 000 Since' June, one firm -alone lias sold 509,8611 bof .'skims,'- and seven other firms have held, sales; From all over New Zealand come -skins- for the Dunedin market, - but the better grade skins come from, the high -country of Central Otago, Hakataranieri and Canterbury. . Raibbitingvia. a- lucrative, business tor men who have seasonal occupations. While- waiting, for the harvesting or shearing to start, 1 these men- crimp out in the ooen in gangs, and reports show that some parties make £SOO. to £6OO net man. for the.season. Owing to the extremely mild weather there has been -a dec-idled shortage of the best grades of skims. All the super grades of winter bucks have been- taken at extreme prices oji American account, the skins being utilised in the- making of coats. Though America lias been taking all grades of bucks, doe- skins have not had the same attention' from the State®, and .have been shipped' mostly to Condon and Continental, malrkets. The lower grades of -skins are- used by hatters in the manufacture of fur felt hats.

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