RABBIT POISONING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9117, 16 May 1891, Page 6 (Supplement)

RABBIT POISONING.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib, —It is rumoured in Clinton that poisoning is to commence on the Ist of June. Now in this district we have a rabbit factory which is receiving about' 2000) rabbits per day, a fair proportion of which number come from within a radius of six or seven miles from the works. Is it giving a local industry of so much promise a reasonable chance, when just at the best part of the season it has to be closed, as preserving rabbits is out of the question after poison has been laid. There are many arguments in favour of these factories. In the first place they utilise the carcase, which is tinned, cooked, and sent to London, where it is sold at something over 5d per lb, evidently a dear gain to the colony generally. Secondly, they find employment for a large number of hands, say, 30 or 40 at the works, and Borne 50 or 60 trappers in the surrounding district. Thirdly, it is a far more reliable way than poison of keeping down the pest, particularly co up to the end of June. One of the principal arguments used against the industry is that the trappers will only catch the full-grown rabbits; they are supposed to set their traps so that young ones haven't weight enough to move them. Now I know from aotual experience this is not so. Take the works here for example, a fair percentage of those sent in being halfgrown, and therefore rejected by the manager; but even supposing that only the full-grown ones were caught by the trappers there will be less to breed from, therefore fewer young ones every season, and at the same time we have a profitable way of keeping them in check. Trusting this letter may be the means of bringing others into the field to protect what appears to be a profitable industry, and thanking you in anticipation.—l am, &c, Olinton, May 13. Soldeb.