AUSTRALIAN.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 43, 5 April 1895, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN.

THE RABBIT PEST. Sydney, April 4. An intercolonial conference to devise the best means of dealing with the rabbit pest opened yesterday. Mr Carruthers, Minister of Lands, said the object of the Conference was to devise a scheme by concerted action for reducing fhe numbers of tho pest in a cheap and wholesale manner, and making the rabbit contribute the cost of his destruction by the sale of skins and carcases. Since the introduction of tho Rabbit Act in 1833 the New South Wales Government had spent considerably over £1,000,000 in destroying rabbits and protecting the landholders fr«m the ravages of the pest. The present Government had some 7,000,000 acres in the Western and Central Divisions on its hands, an i this country had been abandoned chiefly on account of the ravages of the rabbits. # The Conference resolved that its decisions should be on the basis of the State, in co-operation with the occupiers of land, undertaking the destruction of the pest. ADVANCES TO FARMERS. Sydney, April 4. In the Legislative Assembly, the Premier stated that the sum advanced to the Government by the Savings Banks was £o,15}?,000, which had been lent by Government on mortgage. Of this, £ 1,08b,000 had been advanced to farmer® and producers on the security of countrylands, With regard to the question of extending the operations of the Savings; Banks by making advances to farmers, hesaid the matter formed part of a verydifficult problem which he bad been considering for some time.