The Pahiatua Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1936. DESTRUCTION OF RABBITS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13172, 3 February 1936, Page 4

The Pahiatua Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1936. DESTRUCTION OF RABBITS.

It is pleasing to note that farmers of Makuri. Kaitawa and Pori have been invited to attend a meeting in Pahiatua to-morrow afternoon to discuss plan.s for combating the rabbit nuisance or menace—rabbits have now come beyond the stage when they can be called a nuisance, and to-day they present a very serious problem to the land-owners. The Akitio Comity was faced with the same problem some years back and the outcome was the formation of a Rabbit Board, which immediately set about the extermination of the furry invaders with such good effect that tlie country was soon comparatively free of the pests. Before this could be effected it was necessary* to strike a small rate, and the responsibilities of the ratepayers did not end with tbe payment ot this rate, for they were required to carry out destructive measures m accordance with the inspector’s instructions, and such work must be done thoroughly to be of any use. Not only is it essential for the poisoning or whatever other destructive methods are used, to be done thoroughly, but it must be carried out in a comprehensive scale. There is little use in Mr Jones running a furrow through his land and bagging a hundred rabbits, if his neighbour, Mr Smith, does not do likewise, for in no time many of the rabbits will migrate to the adjoining land, and thus much time and money will be wasted. _ The problem does not appear to be nearly* so acute in. the dairying country where the land is much richer, but away back in the lighter hill country the rabbits have made themselves secure, and it appears as though the settlers will require to form a board to bring about the elimination of . the little pests. Rabbit skins at this time of tin? year are not a. very lucrative commercial proposition, but this must not' be allowed to influence land-owners to procrastinate further in dealing with the matter and we hope that the outcome of to-mor-row's meeting will be the formation of another board, which will ultimately* be the means of ridding the country of this ever increasing menace, which threatens to overrun the whole country.