The Rabbit Act. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2409, 3 May 1900, Page 16

The Rabbit Act. TO THE EDITOR .

; Sir, — Kindly allow me space .to make 'a few ' remarks in defence of the administration of the [ Rabbit Act. Seeing that the trapping 'season ! foi freezing rabbits is now upon us/ a few-lines j on the subject 'will not be out of place. , '( There is great indignation shown in some quarters at the way inspectors are urging pol- '< lard poisoning ai? this season instead of allowing trapping full sway. ' Rabbiters, farmers, and "the trade'" say. that poisoning-should he held in abeyance,, so that trapping can be pursued without let or hindrance in all dis- I tricts, and thus 'foster a lucrative industry. \; The superiority of trapping over -poisoning /arid ' other/ useful methods -of rabbit 'extermination is considered more from a commercial point of view than with ihe object of applying -the best means to .cope with the' pest and keep same in check, and trapping should on this ground alone be discountenanced, as tending i to rabbit farming and perpetuation of the rab-- ( bit evil. It is claimed by advocates- of trapping that yivas and farms are cleared of the 1 rabbits in 'a much better way by this method I than by poisoning, the letting Joose- of^atilraT! enemies of bunny, or by digging -o\it. I must ' say that I entirely disagree with this opinion. I Practical^ meiu who are unprejudiced 'in the ' _ matteaK'agree- that poisoning in .-bqth autumn" and w'mtei is far and away a better method -of checking the pest than by trapping in either or both of those seasons. Trapping scaresthe rabbits and scatters them over a wide area of country, and after trapping for a, week or two, parts where the rabbits were previously scarce -begin to show "rabbity." , In'addition to this, ferrets, stoats, weasels, and other natural enc- >■ , mies i'of 'the rabbit are destroyed in large .num.- '• bers. Jf systematic poisoning *with pollard / in-autumn and with phosphprised grain in. win- |- ; ter- "were more generally adopted there "would ' •" -be fewer' rabbits to trap the following "season ' J' than there are at present. In support of my - ' contention that trapping for freezing does not even check bunny in a reasonable degree, I"need'o'nly say that the number of rabbits ex- ! . ported from this and other districts' shows ho : signs oi decrease, .but rather tb.e7xeve.Mo. - -My ""

argument on this j)oint is that trapping for - export is an incentive rabbit-farming, and. 1 thus tends to perpetuate the evil. When rah- \ biting for export, trappers naturally" make".* for the most rabbity parts of runs or farms,/ and thus the ground* is '.'scamped," "whereasqr in poisoning, if the rabbiter is paid fair weekly .wages (as he should ''be), every portion of thfe ground is thoroughly poisoned* Thus the. / comparison of the two ■'methods of rabbiting. ? Ferrets, stoats, and' weasels are useful in de- - stroying the "pest, when let loose upon "Crowm - runs and bush country. There are - several luns in this district which, but for the action, of the Rabbit department in judiciously poisoning at the right season of the year, and the turning out of natural enemies, would now be vacant " and unstocked, and thus be a source of expense rather than of revenue to the Go-., vernment. On some of the Crown, runs in. this district before ferrets were let loose on. ,-unoccupied land a fat sheep could not be goi; from among stragglers running on these lands; whereas, now that the pest has been thinned, . sheep in good condition -can be found 'on the . same country. Sensible people pay no heed tei the cheap sneers thrown at the Rabbit department and its officers by the Conservative press and petty correspondents^ The head of the " Rabbit department is" a man of ripe experience ' in the rabbit difficulty, an able and just administrator, and the officers under him are ' fully qualified for their work, and deserve the ' support and co-operation of rightiminded farmers and iimholders instead of the sneers andi opposition they meet with at present while .- discharging their"' duties'. Rabbit and stock - inspectors have difficult and important work to fulfil, and I trust that Parliament when it meets will stand by the officers of the department and see that the law in this direction is not relaxed, oi else the country will be seriously affected by the much-vaunted system of rabbit export It wotild be unwise to curtail the discretionary power with which Inspee- . tors are at present entrusted, as by so doing "_ the chief purpose- ol the Rabbit Aetw'ould be ■% frustrated, and the officers" working under such" t * a law"- would-be greatly hampered 4 iri the enforce'-'-* ment of the' act. ' The Rabbit department does " useful work", and the services rendered by in-/-' •spectators- and, agents, are" quite cqmmensurate r v ,-with th^-pay- they receive.- - "" *" -„.'-_.' i As we cannot yet look. for-, the extinction of tho rabbit pfest, we must consider ..the next best; * thing— namely, keeping .the pes"t within reason- ." able bounds by judicious poisoning, letting out' ■ natural enemies, and digging out where suit- - able. It would be a costly thing if by foster- \ ing the rabbit-freezing , industry , the" rabbits were once more' to "get the upper hand where ■ no ( y_ they are comparatively scarce, and thii3 have runs abandoned and thrown on the hands of the Government to be rabbited at great cx r pense, instead of producing revenue. I as- ' sert that had it not been for the Rabbit "Act ~ and its enforcement by the .inspectors the ' ccantry would now be almost unfit for crop- ~ ping and stoek-iai3ing. Parliament, when.it T sits, 3hculd pay no attention to tKe numerous - protests, and petitfons which-will be" handed in 'by- rabbit .exporters, squatters, "-and" farmers, ■ • who -wish to have their pockets ''filled in.-anX" easy way aidwfcheir-.jland rabbited in- a 'cheap- '■ but ineffective- manner. The -few 'should -not „ be enriched and benefited at the cost of the, colony, as the present rabbit-freezing industry .- promises to do. , I have nob written with a view to draw controversy; therefore I shall not* reply to anycorrespondence arising from this letter. As a Roman Governor once said on a memorable ' occasion, so say I: ""What I have written"! have written." — I am, etc., ' ' NON-OFFICIAL. ~ Wakatipu, April 26.