Kiwitea Rabbit Board

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 292, 10 December 1936, Page 5

Kiwitea Rabbit Board

The ordinary meeting of the Kiwitea Babbit Board was held at Kimbolton on Wednesday last. There were present Trustees J. W. Batchclar (chairman), W. L. Grice, A. Lawson, W. P. Shaw, D. T. Couper and E. A. Palmer (stock inspector). An additional charge of 10 per cent, is to be added to all rates in respect of the current year remaining unpaid after January 25, 1937.

The board decided to restore the inspectors’ and secretary’s salaries respectively to the basis ruling at March 31, 1931, the restoration to bo retrospective to July 1, 1930. At the close of the meeting the chairman wished the trustees and officials the compliments of the season. Inspectors’ Reports. Inspector W. J. Lor ward reported:— “Since last meeting I have been engaged mostly in making personal inspections of properties. There had been an increaso in the numbers of the pest to bo seen lately, composed mostly of young rabbits, which were bred during the early spring, and is, I regret having to say, largely due to the lack of attention paid to breeding burrows by the majority of settlors during the breeding season. This lack of attention to fumigating all burrows at this I time of year is to be regretted, especially as it not only helps to hold the pest in check, but is much easier to destroy half a dozen young rabbits while in the burrow than to dog or shoot them one by one after they are old enough to leave the burrow and seek shelter elsewhere. This - is especially so on country that is broken and having plenty of other suitable shelter from which it is very difficult to dislodge them, and more difficult still to get the last one of them. So I take this opportunity of again impressing on all settlers to fumigate every burrow they can find and to destroy any other cover they possibly can, because without burrows or other shelter, the rabbit is doomed. During the coming month I ■ will be renewing all statutory notices and I hope every settler will do his utmost to co-operate with the board and the inspector in not only trying to hold the pest in check but in trying to thoroughly clean them out. With this end in view, I say to all settlers, go to it and dog and shoot and fumigate all burrows until conditions aro again suitable for poisoning, and anyone failing to- do their bit will find that lame excuses will no longer help them. In so far as noxious weeds are concerned, I have also been paying, attention to those in season and am pleased to say that in that part of my area subject to variegated thistle, settlers have made a good response to notices to clear it. Other noxious weeds are being dealt with in their respective seasons and I expect no great difficulty in having them attended to in due season.”

Inspector W. Fraser reported: — ‘ ‘ With the near approach of the season for clearing noxious weeds, I tako this

means of warning all occupiers of property in the - northern area of the Kiwitea Rabbit Board that noxious weeds such as foxglove, blackberrj-, barberry and sweet brier, must -be cleared effectively before seeding. Anyone failing to comply with the requirements of the Act is liable to be prosecuted without any further warning. Also, I would again like to draw tho attention of occupiers of property to the Amendment of the Noxious Weeds Act regarding clearing of ragwort, failure to clear (which means destroy) ragwort at any time 'of "the year renders the occupiers to prosecution without any warning and no statutory notice will be sent for ragwort. Where rabbits are showing up, a real effort must be made to keep them‘.well in check. I ask for the co-operation of all concerned.”