THE RABBIT SKIN INDUSTRY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23044, 21 November 1936, Page 21

THE RABBIT SKIN INDUSTRY

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In the Rural World news of your issue of the 14th there is a statement on the value of rabbit®skins by Mr G. T. Turner, an assessor at a sitting of the Conciliation Council in Christchurch. Mr Turner goes on to say that it is a most valuable industry, and nothing should be done to jeopardise it, as this season skins have already brought £BOO,OOO to New Zealand. He quotes from the Year Book from 1930 to 1934, and it is very noticeable that in 1932 the amount was only £70,016 because there was a low price for rabbit skins. Therefore, the rabbits increased and the lamb trouble known as pulpy kidney just about vanished Now there is a very big deathrate among big lambs throughout Otago this year, and a great many farmers are quite convinced that the rabbit has something to do with the trouble. The skins were such a high price last winter that the rabbits were poisoned, trapped, or shot wherever they were seen, hence the lamb trouble Of late years the rabbits have been coming back and the lamb trouble was practically nil. But as soon as the rabbit skins got a big price back comes the lamb trouble again worse than ever. To test the lamb trouble, the Government should declare a close season in Otago for rabbits, say. for two years, as I do not think one year would be long enough Then at the end of two years, if it was proved that the lambs were dying just as bad as ever, the rabbits could be easily got rid of by broadcasting stychnine, just as was done years ago. Certainly it killed thousands of sheep ahd hundreds of dogs, but they were easily replaced. What the farmer would lose on the London market he would gain on the American market. A scheme such as 1 have mentioned would be in favour of the farmer both wavs. —I am. etc.. Unknown.