Kiwitea Rabbit Board

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 133, 8 June 1935, Page 6

Kiwitea Rabbit Board

The ordinary meeting of the board was hold at Ivimbolton on Tuesday last. There were present Trustees J. W. Batchelar (chairman), W. L. Grice, A. Lawson, E. A. Palmer, W. P. Shaw and D. T. Couper. The chairman welcomed Trustee Couper to the board. The Department of Agriculture advised payment of subsidy on rates for the year ended 31/0/35 amounting to £404 19s Id. The Department of Agriculture acknowledged receipt of the result of the general election of members of the board. Trustee Lawson was re-elected treasurer. On the motipn of the chairman, seconded by Trustee Grice, it was decided to place on record the splendid work performed by ex-Trustee T. D. Wood during his long association with the board. It was resolved that the inspectors be requested to name the worst offenders and that they be given 21 days’ notice within which to reduce the rabbits on their properties to the satisfaction of the board, failing which legal proceedings will bo taken in terms of the Babbit Nuisance Act.

At a special meeting the following rates were made and levied for the current year:—Kiwiteu district, excluding tho Waituna group, id per acre; Waituna group, 2d per acre. The annual meeting was held at noon. Trustees Batchelar aud Grico were nominated for the oflico of chairman. As each candidate received three votes it was decided to place tho names in a hat. The draw favoured Trustee Grice and he was then declared chairman for the ensuing 12 months. Tho report for the mouths of April and May, presented by the inspector for the southern area, read as follows: ".Since your last meeting I have been engaged in making personal inspections of properties and find that although rabbits have shown up a bit more on a few places, taken all round there is a reduction compared witn three or four months ago. Since Easter weather conditions have not been at all favourable for poisoning, especially pollard poisoning, hence I have not had nearly as much poisoning done as I would have liked. Nevertheless a few settlers who happened to strike good weather for a few days have had good results. It is my intention to request all owners of property to have them thoroughly poisoned by tho carrotstrychnin o method during tho coming two months so that where necessary a further poisoning can be done before the breeding season starts. I take this opportunity of calling on all ‘settlers to poison their properties during the last week in June.”

The inspector for the northern area reported:—"'These two months havi been taken up with general inspection. April saw practically the end of noxiousweeds in this area. Looking back on the year, I must say that we made appreciable progress, more especially with ragwort. Gratifying results have been obtained with sodium chlorate. Apart from one or two areas very good work has been done and next year ought to see ragwort down to a minimum. Blackberry control was not so good, The same applies to barberry and sweetbrier. Foxglove control is only fair. I hope to do better next year. There was a fair amount of rabbit destruction done in April and somo very successful poisoning was done with apples and strychnine, especially on the dry ridges about Sandon block. May has been very wet and rabbit work has been considerably- hindered but now with a return to good weather I must ask al! settlers to get to work and poison where necessary. This work lias to I / satisfactorily completed before the spring growth,”