A Settler's Grievauce.

Otago Witness, Issue 2302, 14 April 1898, Page 24

A Settler's Grievauce.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, — Notwithstanding the avowal by the head of the Stock department and the Minister for Linds— who of coureo we must believe,— l still think the rabbit inspectors have had some strong orders sent tlnni to stop tr,i?ping rabbits just now, and go < n with poison us usual. I will give my reasons for thi3 belief without much com meut, and state the remit of my interview with the inspectors briefly, as your space is much taken up with this troublesome question. On or about the 19ch of last month the inspector and his agent called. I went to the door and as-ked them to come in, and take a seat. They cams in, would not sit down. a:ict i>oon left. I was surprised at tba inspectors reraiiks. He said : " X have called to sea what is to be done about these lubb 1,8," pointing in the direction of the rabbits hanging on the fence. "They are too thick ; you were fined last year. You will have to do something more." This was the first I had beard of hte being dissatisfied. I had him often 'hiring summer. Isairl_, " Whab do you mean? I hawiwoiaen on trapping. I will do tha poison ti^ myself 'a a short time ; as yet I have not got all my crop in." He replied that I would have to atop tiapping and start poisoning. " Poison the whole farmput on two good nien_fo do it. You will not do ; you are too slow." 1 replied that I knew the trappsrs were getting a lot. "But you must remember they are good dado's, and doing two days' work in one— out at daylight, woiking nearly all day, and out till 11 or 12 at night " Reply : " You will have to do this ; you have a Luge farm. Get this done at once ! " I said I was doing enough, and would do no raore. I did nob make one shilling out of the rabbit trappers, and would not be bullied by John..M'Kenzie or any other man. "I don't blame jou, but the parson who sent you. You will recollect. Sir , that this trapping is nothing new, for although I poisoned my laud twice, and some of it three limes. I got a isapper on. and he killed a lot -about 100 per nighfc." "When was that?" Ans. : "Two months ago; I toW you and yoar agent about this and all I was doing." They say/ me ofle», and knew I was trapping the rabbits in the culverts, on the roads, and while at other woik. Ib will at once occur to anyone who knows about rabbit deatiuction, Why did the inspector not object to trapping then? It seems strange, to put ifc mildly, that at present poison is laid on one &ide of the public road and trapping on the other. True it is I was fined last year for a, part of my place— "00 acres, as the inspector said at this interview. This is the unkindest cut of all ; for, as I told the inspector that forenoon before the court went in, that he was a new man ia the district, and that I did not blame him, but that my neighbour. Mi- Morrison, aud I should not have been summoned for the reason that 1000 acres immediately above and adjoining our places had been quite neglec'-ed. This, of course, I am quil«s prepared to prove. It can be easily done yet. It was Government land at the time, and a new tenant got it shortly afterwards, and had a large lot of rabbits packed down to the main roa x for everyone to see. — I am, etc.. Green Valley, April 11. Wai. li. Bayly.

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