Pastoral Tenants Belief Bill. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2206, 11 June 1896, Page 37

Pastoral Tenants Belief Bill. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,— l notice that the Hon. John M'Kenzis and gpine of his colleagues while addressing their constituents lately have been vaunting a good de»l aB to their generosity to their enemies, tha wool kings of New Zealand, in passing the above bill last setstou. Undoubtedly the Government deserves great credit for coming to the relief of runholderx, particularly in tho Mackenzie Country, G where it is well known that some of the Crown tenants lost all their sheep. On the other band, I think it is quite possible that relief and assistance have been ciVen to Crown tenants who did not lo« a siugle sheep in the snow of last winter. Mr M'Kenzie says tbat the loss of sheep in Nel'on ou account of tbe severity of last winter was 35,656 I am very sceptical about this return, as Nelson is by no wans a snowy district. All the high ranges in Nelson are covered with dense bush, and consequently all the's&eep in that district are confined to low and wellsheltered valleys. Mr M'Kenzie Also states that the total loss of sheep owing to the snowstorm of last winter was 679,921. No doubt tbis total exceeds by tome hundred thousands 'what wai actually lost to the colony. It seems the Governmeqt receives £100,000 from their pastoral tenants in the shape of rents, which ' appears a very moderate rent for all the pastoral Grown lands of Mew Zealnnd. It is very probable that before the cod of the year we shall find some of those who derived benefit from this bill {.busing the Hon. John M'Kenzie and all his colleagues for ever pasaing i>ucU a bill. I think as our Liberal Government has so much money at command, and kb they have the interests of our large runholders to very much at -heart, they ought to spdDd at least some of their great wealth in a practical manner in clearing the Crown lands of the olouy from the rabbit feat, which is causing more loss to the country ia ouVyear than Ml the snow that has fallen since Captain Cook landed on .'mo thores. It is owing to enow and frost that New Zdalaud is one of the healthiest countries in the wot Id.' Within tho next 12 months there will be more Crown lands thrown on the hands of the Government oa account of th« rabbit pest than Tierhapa has been the case in any previous year in the history of New Zealand. When the Hon. J< hu M'KeDzie was appointed Minister for Lands and Mr Ritchie head of the Rabbit department, a good nnuy had great hopes, as these gentlemen were really practical and experienced working men, that they wouW with so much public money at their command sncced'fully deal with the rabbit pfst ; but now we ftud that they are no improvement on their predecessors. Since the prcseat Goverameut has been in power the rabbits bave spread and iacresv-td in the valuable grazing distiicts of Hawke's Bay and South Canterbury as well as in several districts that were previously clear of them. The. majority of our rabbit inspectors don't trouble their heads as to whether rabbits are increasing or deceasing. They scad reports to Wellington all favourable to themselves and about Crown lands being so clear from rabbits. At the same time they don't know whit rabbits are oa those Crown lands any more than the writer knows what is behind tho muonl The fact is, a great many of our inpectors are phe to 'Is of the large and wealthy runholders, I will give one instauce to confirm this statement. About two years ago a rabbit inspector was appointed in the district in which I reside. As ° soon as the inspector arrived a large runholder in the district, whose run was overrun with rabbit*, sent the inspector a very bandedme present, ' whjph was accepted. This was a clear ca»e of • bribing a Government official. Such a public savvant as this man was of course not of the slightest use to the colony who paid his handsome salary. At the same time this large runholder was never known to put his hand in his pocket to assist a poor person. My proof of this caso ie so clear that the Hon. John M'Kenzie can have the full particulars if he is interested in the matter.. Our preieut Rabbit Act is a complete failure, though it is a very expensive act. • Rabbits can be cleared off any run in New Zealand under the personal uhections of a thoroughly competent man, but never by the present gentlemanly riding inspectors and manager* of large stations, who have not tho necessary time at their disposal to superintend rabbit deduction. I have talked rabbit matters with a good many of our leading legislators and large runholdors in New Zealand, but the most clear-headed gentleman with whom 1 have discussed the rabbit question is Mr Buchanan, the present member for the Wairarapa, and I am surprised that this shrewd and clever member of our New Zealand Parliament has not introduced a better and less expensive Rabbit Act for th« colony in which he takes so much interest.— l am, 4c, A Northern Shepherd.