TOKARAHI RABBIT BOARD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26559, 6 September 1947, Page 2

TOKARAHI RABBIT BOARD

Sir, —I was interested in the reply, of the board’s chairman to a letter signed “ Eaten Out ” in Saturday’s issue of your paper. It is to.be regretted that during the period of 'its operations not one authoritative statement of its affairs has been made by the board, either in the columns of the newspapers or in conversation with board members. A public body deliberating behind closed doors and neglecting to enlighten the public of its affairs creates in the mind of that public a suspicion that all is not well. Will the board give a straight-out answer to the following “rumours”: (1) Did the board advise its employees at one period that their pay might not be forthcoming on the due date? (2) Does the board intend carrying on with only 12 men. (3) Has the board no funds with which to fumigate? Could I.also have the following information: (1) The amount Collected in rates? (2) The boards bank balance as per their unaudited balance sheet?—l am, etc., Slipped Over. [The secretary, Mr C. C. Gillies, replies as follows: (1) Definitely not. In the first year there was some difficulty, but the employees were paid on time. (2) No. At the present time there are 18, and the number would vary, but the board would try to keep the number about the 20 mark. (3) The fumigating plan will be carried on, and this will be decided upon at the board’s next meeting. Information; (1) The amount collected in rates is £654 15s; (2) at March 31 there was a debit of £2OB 10s 2d. —Ed--0.D.T.l .

Sir,—How can Mr Gillies and Mr Murray, secretary and chairman respectively, of the Tokarahi Rabbit Board, say there is no truth in my letter when I confined my statements to facts which I, and other farmers, can verify? Will they deny that some farmers have been so dissatisfied With results that they have risked prosecution by putting off the board’s rabbiters and killing the rabbits themselves? This was done to save the winter feed. Mine is not an isolated case. I want to make it clear that I am not at variance with rabbit boards in general, but only, the one under discussion. The board appears to be proud of the fact that it has accounted for 150,000 rabbits in the area. Will it tell us how many rabbits per acre, of the whole area, this figure represents, and how many of these were trapped, and how many, poisoned? For our part, we are more concerned about the thousands unaccounted for. So long as the board aims at making the rabbit pay for the extermination of his kind we will have rabbits. Having gained the opinions of a number of farmers in the ;jrea I should say that the majority of us would welcome the decision of the board to increase the rate and, where possible, replace the traps with the fumigator.—l am, etc., Eaten Out. North Otago, September 2.