RABBIT CATCH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26081, 19 February 1946, Page 4

RABBIT CATCH

HUGE TOTAL OF SMALL SKINS OPERATION OF SUBSIDY SCHEME More than two and a-quarter million rabbit skins are at present piled up in a city store. These are all small skins on which the Rabbit Skin Control Committee has paid a bonus of 4d each in order to encourage the killing of rabbits of even the smallest size. Now that the bonus period is over the committee will grade these skins and offer them to the trade. These small skins represent about 20 per cent, of the average rabbit skin yield for New Zealand. Their precise number is 2,284,728, and the price paid by the committee for them was £38,078 16s. At the last sale in the city 1,039,136 small skins came forward for subsidy. About 800,000 large skins were offered, but these did not come within categories on which the bonus is payable. The figure for small skins was nearly twice that on which subsidies were paid last. year. One reason for the increase in the returns of skins is that more labour is now available for trapping. During the holiday season also more, rabbits are shot by sportsmen who find the sale of skins a profitable sideline. Schoolboys on holiday also find the work of collecting skins remunerative, and city firms have received many small consignments from boys. On the open market this season types known as runners and racks (the pelts of which are used for the manufacture of gloves and other special lines) have brought exceptionally high prices. These lines averaged about 10s a lb at last week’s sale.