THE RABBIT QUESTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2401, 8 March 1900, Page 15

THE RABBIT QUESTION.

PUBLIC MEETING AT WAITAHUNA. A representative meeting of those interested in the administration of the Rabbit Act in the Waitahtina district was held on Saturday Evening last in the Good Templars' Hall, Waitalmna. > Mr -William Livingston, who was voted to the chair, explained that the meeting had been convened hy Mr William Auld for the purpose of considering the manner in ivhicii the Babbit Act was being administered with reference to the question of trapping versus poisoning. Mr Auld would, no doubt, explain more fully the purpose of the meeting, and it would then be for those present who -were interested in the question to give an expression of opinion so that there might be some basis on which to form a conclusion as to the state of public feeling.. Of course they bad already a very good idea as to what the public feeling was on the question as regards trapping and poisoning, but, at the same time, it wotild be such a public expression of opinion, now that the trapping season had commenced, as would leave no doubt on the matter.— (Applause.) . . Mr Auld said the object of the meeting should .scarcely need explanation, as it had been made very clear in an advertisement inserted in that day's Tuapeka Times. They •were present to take such action as the meeting might think desirable in order to place some effective check on the action of the inspectors at the present season. They wanted to be in a position to resist the inspectors in making poisoning compulsory during the present season. They were all aware that the inspectors became aggressively active each season as trapping commenced, and the meeting was there as a protest against such uncalled for activity. — (Applause.) He believed both^lnapector Mills and his assistant, Mr Sullivan, present at the meeting. Personally, he Was pleased to see them, and he thought it -■was only right they ehc-uld be present so that they might be in a position to learn for themselves, as the local representatives of the Rabbit department, what the opinions of the people were on this important question. He might say also that he had taken the oppor.tunity of interviewing a number of farmers, .and asked them to attend the meeting and take part in it. Their reply wa3 that although they were anxious to be present, and to join in protesting against the arbitrary manner in which the act was being administered, yet they dare not show their hands or -voice their opinions, as if they did so they -would be liable to be singled out for speaking what they believed to be the truth. It seemed scarcely credible that such could be the case, and that in a country in which they "boasted of liberty and of freedom of speech, men, solid and respected men, were afraid to voice their opinions on a question that affected them so seriously as the rabbit question did. — (Applause.) He trusted that those present would give their opinions in a candid and fearless, manner, and would carry resolutions in connection with the subject that might be forwarded to the Minister in charge of the department. He would also sua-srest that a committee be appointed whose business it would be to further in whatever way they may think desirable, the views of the meeting, and also to take the necessary steps to give effect to whatever conclusions it might arrive at that eveninar. — (Aoplatise.).

Mr A. M. Barnett said he was told that Secretary Ritchie v,a? dead against trapping. .He knew nothing cf that, but he did know that the Hon. John M'Kenzie was the servant of the people, and that being so he ought to -be brought to knoV what the people desirec 1 . It had been stated in the daily papers the --other clay that b<st year £140.000 came into - the country for trapped rabbiU, £70,000 of which suift was distributed among the workers. Now it was for those who advocated poisoning to prove that more skins were obrainod from that sy?cem than from trapping in the same season of another year. And further, that the ground was better cleaned. Ho was prepared to prove there were fewer rabbits in the tiapped districts than :n pre-, iotis years, though lobriU trere 10 a ceitain oxteat migratory. Tliey nil Imew hovr the .rabbits had spread, and they knew that they <ffißk the better iced. and it v/as because of

this migratory habit that the rabbit was sucn a nuisance. "Were it not so a man would have the right to farm the rabbit. He could do so with profit to himself and 119 harm to his neighbours. It was because of the iivjiirv to his -neighbour that the Rabbit Act became law. It had been proved over and over again to demonstration that trapping is the most effective as a system of destruction, and they all knew that it was the more profitable of the two systems. Why, then, should it be objected to? They wanted an answer to that question, and if they cannot give it, let them cease their tyrannical prosecutions. — (Applause.) Mr Barnett concluded by moving the following resolutions : —

"That this meeting considers the action of the Rabbit department in trying to force the landowners to poison at the present time unjust, harsh, and contrary to the well-being of the country."

"That his meeting considers that trapping at the present time does help to abate, and is the .most successful means of abating, the rabbit nuisance, besides being a profit to the country, inasmuch as large sums of money are brought into the country and distributed among ite workers." " That it be brought under the notice of the Hen. <. John M'Kenzie, as Minister for Lands and head of the Agricultural department, that his action in allowing the rabbit department to so hamper the rabbit-trapping and freezing industries tends to make the landowner and worker believe that he is rather au enemy than friend to them."

" That the representatives of this and of other districts be a&ked to bring about such amendments of the Rabbit Act that every man charged with breaking that law shall have the opportunity and right to defend himself."

Mr J. Ryan, in seconding the resolutions, said he thought they exactly met the case. Nobody, he said, doubted that trapping was fax and away the best method of getting rid of the pest. There was no such thing as rabbit farming. In fact, the greatest injustice that could be done them would be to compel them to keep rabbits, a3 it was directly against the interests of farmers to have rabbits on their lands. If he (the speaker) had his land thoroughly fenced, so that no rabbits could get in or out, he did not see what right the Government would then have to interfere with him. The question was whether the keeping of rabbits injured his neighbours, and if they did not and it paid him to keep them he considered he had a perfect right to do so. — (Applause.)

The resolutions, having bfeen put to the meeting en bloc, were carried unanimously, after which they were discussed and passed seriatim. '

Mr John Cowan said the rabbit department had coined the expression "rabbit farming," and had asserted that landowners had gone in for the cultivation rather than for the extermination of rabbits. He thought that, as he had been engaged in obher farming, if the department had been as desirous as they professed to be of helping and protecting him in that work they would have attended to rabbits before they could have done any damage, md not commence to do so now when the damage must have been done. He thought the manner in which the department went to work was altogether wrong. They persecuted the farmers, while, at the same time, they left them unprotected and exposed to damage up to a certain point, and then rushed round prosecuting people, and, perhaps, which was even worse, endeavouring, for some reason very difficult to understand, to destroy a very profitable industry, and prevent landowners fron.- following out t'-io very beat means of extermination that had yet been discovered. No wonder that people cried out and protested, an he hoped they would cry out and protest as long as such a tyranny and an interference with private riq;hl and private interest continued. — (Applause.)

Mr John Lynch said he believe! trapping to be the best method of destroying the rabbits. Ke had a large experience of rabbit destruction for a number of years, and he found that trapping was not only the best method of sweeping them a-vay, but slfo the mc&t profitable.

Mr Auld «aid he thought the c! airman rni?ht ask the inspector present to ojive his opinion on the mauler under ditcusiion.

The e'uiirmp.n said he would like ii to be clearly understood that they were iicl acting in an antagonistic spirit to the inspectors individually. They would, no doubt, be glad, at the =,ame time, to heir the in-speclor's orainiou.

Inspector Mills replied that he had iiolhiutv to say. They had simply to cr.rry out their inprruciiou?.

A ommiUee was then formed to take action in support of the ■uevvs of the meeting, which er.n«sls><i of the following gentlemen: Wtp. Xi-vingslow. John Sutherland, John Cow.iv, A. M. Barnetl, Wro. Aulcl, Jeremiah Ryan, and T. Lynch. — Tuapcka Times