The Babbit Act.

Otago Witness, Issue 2181, 19 December 1895, Page 54

The Rabbit Act.

TO THE EDITOR. Bin, — I think it ouly fair that the public should hear what fe to be said in defence of the Rabbit Act administration. Had the small settler been allowed to shuut the responsibility. of billing Lib rabbits on to the coup • rat ively larger settler as has been his use we t-hould tot have bceu favoured with the squealiDg tirade of ♦• Vox Populi " : — . Sweet, when the great sea's water is stirred to his depths by the stonu winds, Standiog ashore' to descry one afar off mightily smuggling: Not that a neighbour's sorrow to you yields dulcet enjoyment, Cut that the sight hath a sweetness of ills ourselves are exempt from. I may cay to fetart with, I am ergsged in mixed farming, and from time to tmo have my attention drawn to the number of rabbits on my ground. My invariable habit has been to start work forthwith, and continue till the ' ground is comparatively clean. Now, let us ge3 where " Vox Populi's " letter is nvsleading. He fays notice was served at . lambing time. He does not say what is certain to have been the ca*e, that these people had been approached long before with a view to get . thtm to do something, wfiich something they niver would do, reljing on the pica of lambing ' to tide them over till tbe end of summer, whon » feather excuse of disturbing the rabbits before winter poisoning, or some such plea, might obviate the necessity of any work at all. Apparently - faiiing to gets any satisfaction, the wretched inspector has taken courage in both hards and done Lis duty— with the usual reward. Next time I expect he will be a little previous to lambing in his summons. - "Vox Populi" notwithstanding, the magistrate has discretionary power, and evidence is not valueless. In this way, if a man can show he has done lair work since being served with notice to .destroy rabbit?, the magistrate miy inflict tbe ' lowest possible fine — in spite oE any number of previous convictions. We never see this happen, because the depaittneut do noftprotecute where an honest attempt, however small, has been made to deal with the pest. Certainly, prosecution by an inspector means conviction — and it is a mercy it does. It is surtly unnecessary to dwell on the absurdity of appointing the tool magistrate to administer the act. XI the autocratic element were eliminated from the Rabbit Act it would be worse than uselesd. Tbe one danger about the act is the power it . - places in unscrupulous hands. I admit and deplore this ; but even so, am thankful for the act, in want of something better. It is, broadly speaking, the tin all settler who i* the , caute of the greatest anxiety and worry to the department. For tome reason or other he thinks he ought cot to do his share of rabbitkilling, and he acts on hiß convictions, or will do in future, let us hope. T h,ave wri'ten this Utter in defer ce of men who cannot well defend themselves — men who work hard id all weathers and'wbo receive, proportionately, the poorest pay of all our civil servants. We will not have the rabbits with us always, but while we havo let us ba devoutly thankful for tfee act. — I am, &c , Dunedin, November 25. Sheep Fabmer. P.S. — I enclose my card. My objections to signing my name are m*ny and obvious.