THE RABBIT TRADE IN LAWRENCE. (Tuapeka Times, April 12.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2356, 20 April 1899, Page 7

THE RABBIT TRADE IN LAWRENCE. (Tuapeka Times, April 12.)

Whatever may be thought of the destruc live qualities of the rabbit, and however much the depredations of the " festive little cuss " may excite the wrath, and sometimes the maledictions, of the farmer, there ib no gainBaying the fact that the pest, as it is the custom to call it, has its uses, and valuable uses they are. This, it may be said in perfect confidence, is the opinion of the hundreds — aye, thousands — of men throughout this province alone who are during the present season finding well-paid occupation in trapping rabbits. They make good wages beyond question, at a reasonable calculation something like an average of £5 a week. Some of the emart, expert hands can double that sum when the' conditions as regards the weather are favourable and there are no breaks and Btoppages such as there are at present. But, as one of the local buyers tells us, "They earn all they make : it's .night and day work, and rough at that." No doubt that is bo ; but yet the payment compensates for the labour, and no doubt, also, the wish of those engaged in it is that it might run through the four seasons instead of two.

But if the trappers have so much reason to be satisfied, what about the buyers? It js hardly necessary to ask such a question. The middlemen always look carefully after their xjwn interests, aud in this instance we are informed on very good authority that the profits of those buyers engaged in the trade locally represent about 50 per cent, on their otlay. Who will say after that that rabbits are a curse?

Last season there were two depots in Lawrence for the purchase of rabbits ; this season there are three, and it is not at all improbable that the number will be doubled in a, week or two. Want of capital alone limits the number of competing buyers. Business is done almost entirely in cash, the average rabbiter being a man who believes that all commercial transactions are all the better of being settled on a cash basis. Probably the largest buyer is Messrs Tonkin end Co., whose local agent is Mr T. Phillipps. The same firm have also an agency at Miller's Flat, from which large consignments are received. On some days they receive as many as 2000 rabbits from there, and when the weather becomes settled and, at the same time^ cold and dry, they look for a considerable increase in tlje daily or weekly supply from there. They commenced buying on March 14, and during the first three days they sent away to Burnside 4118 rabbits*. On Monday last they sent away 800, and yesterday 1849. These rabbits, it should be explained, were trapped in the districts immediately surrounding Lawrence, and did not include Miller's Flat. On Monday Miller's Flat alono sent down to the firm a cargo of 1901 rabbits. Probably some people will be Inclined to infer from this that the rabbits nro exceptionally numerous in that district. 9jj|ut this is not quite th> correct explanation. ahe reason why the suddlv from there so far

exceeds that from this district is that there is less rain at Miller's Flat, and as a consequence, the operations of the rabbiter- are less subject to disturbance. But their losses up to the present have been exceptionally heavy. From March 6 to 29 no less than 37,000 rabbits sent from here to the freezing works by the firm were rejected. They simply " went bad." and were found to be unfit for export, and were rejected. These were rabbits trapped in the Miller's Flat district, and in the delay of getting them down, the weather being hot, decomposition had set in with the result stated. The fact is, no attempt should be made to take rabbits such a distance so early in the season, not until the weather has become colder and the conditions more favourable for transit.

Messrs Tonkin began the season by giving 4£d a pair for rabbits but they are now giving sd. But it seems the rabbiters. are not satisfie.l that the price is yet what it ought to be. In fact it is understood that a number of them are threatening that unless there is an advance in the price they will make arrangements for disposing of their rabbits on the co-operative principle and thus knock the middleman out and share his profits. It is alleged that the prices are fixed up among the buyers and thus the possibility of an advance by any individual buyer is prevented. It is understood that one of the local buyers, who does not, however, belong to the syndicate, is inclined to make an advance, and it was at his initiation that tho recent rise of one halfpenny per pair was agreed to by the other local pui chasers. So, at least, the story runs. You don't find many men like him amon~ the "bloated capitalists" and his existence accordingly deserves to be noted. Mr A. Bateman, who has embarked in the trade " on his own," or rather sells on commission, which is pretty much the same, p«mds away a very large quantity of rabbits. When the weather is dry and the conditions otherwise favourable, his average represents something like 13,000 a week. And he expects even to exceed that number during the present season. Mr Bateman pays current prices for rabbits, but he is inclined to think that the present price paid to rabbiters is not quite as high as it should be. It i 3 a penny a pair les3, he states, than it was at the same time last year. He thinks everything warrants an advance, but this cannot be done as long as the buyera hang together and refuse to , let the figure up. In London just now rabbits arc fetching 9d each, and though it is true that the stocks there represent what were held over from last year, there being no shipment this season, yet the tone of the market is decidedly good and everything justifies better prices in the colony for the raw article. Some rabbiters assert that as things are it would pay them better simply to sell the skins, which would fetch about 8d a pound and so escape the present trouble and labour of cleaning the rabbits as at present. Passing reference has been made to the number of men which the industry employs. In this respect it may be mentioned -that Air Bateman has about 60 men and boys trapping for him, and if the same number is allowed to tho other two an aggregate of 180 •men is arrived at. Of course this does not represent the actual mimber connected with the industry in the district; but even if the nurabei is taken at 180 a very large sum of mone}', foreign or outside money wholly, is, it will be seen, put into circulation in the district, that is to Bay within an area of 10 or 12 miles of Lawrence. But though this looks well and may to some people pass for an argument in favour of the much-hunted rabbit, it should be remembered that during the remainder of the year the rabbit ceases almost wholly to be remunerative and is destructive on a scale almost beyond calculation.

It may be interesting for purposes of comparison to mention that Mr liateman estimates his purchases at fully twice what they were last year, and he anticipates a large increase in the business in the course of a week or two. Not until the settlers and their families are freed from the labours of the harvest will the work of trapping be in full swing, and that will not be yet for a few weeks.

For carting the rabbits from the grdund where they are trapped Mr Bateman charges tho trappers id per pair — ov, in other words, he pays^ them 4id per pair on the ground and 5d delivered in Lawrence.

In addition to those sent by him to the freezing works at Burneide, ho dispatches about 15,000 during the season to Christchurch where they are sold in the retail shops. But it seems that the freezers object to this arrangement, and in order to stop it they combine to spoil the trade by swamping tho Chrislchurch market with rabbits where they bell them at cost price. This is one of the stratagems of modern cominereialisni, and its employment in the rabbit trade is another evidence of the manner in which prices are regulated and the laws of supply and demand shoved of? their natural basis. No doubt when the obnoxious individual has been driven out of the market the syndicate will cease to supply the retailers fend prices will go up at a jump for rabbits in Christchurch, and the good people of that city will wonder what has happened. The third rabbit emporium in Lawrence is run by Mr R. S. Black, his local representative being Mr H. Munro. They are at present buying something like 1000 rabbits a day, the figure at times running up to 1800, tho prices paid and the general conditions being pretty much the fame as those of the other two establishments already referred to.