EAST COAST RABBIT BOARD.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12408, 18 March 1911, Page 5

EAST COAST RABBIT BOARD.

A meeting of the East Coast Rabbit Board was held this morning' m the Board's . office. There were present : — Messrs W. D. Lysnar (chairman), T. Holden, E. M. Hutchinson, and W. Ross. The following correspondence w.as received: — Inspector A. McGill reported from Te Teko that he found things satisfactory at Te Teko and Opotiki end. The* men m Opotiki had caught five rabbits this week, but the week before two of the men got, nine rabbits. The Galatea men were getting about the same as last month, butj they were young ones out of holes. . The inspector from Opotiki m February wrote stating that the reason why he had not been doing more poisoning m Galatea was that the County had been poisoned three times last year, and the last time the rabbits did not look • at.it, as there was too much feed about at' present- 1 ,He .would start poisoning at the 1 'beginning of March*. ; On March 3rd Inspector McGill also ; wrote from Galatea "that things were satisfactory. He had four men m Opotiki camped at the north, and they, caught five rabbits last week between them. They were staying there for one month. The two men m Te Teko aver- =. aged about one a day. Waihou was „ also very clean, the two men doing very satisfactory work. The Galatea men were getting about the same average. The man at Te Waiti was getting one Tabbit now and again, and there was . not much fear of them getting through from this point' to Ruatehuna. The inspector stated he was going to start poisoning about the end of the month at Te Teko and poison right through to the end of hi» boundary, - < l'he new inspector of Wairoa district, E...J. Turner, reported at length, th%t Ife had visited Mohaka block, and had j. found. traces of rabbits on one property, | and also at Waikaremoana. He had had a look over Neil's property, and also part of Hislop's, adjoining Neil's, but could see no trace of rabbits. Speaking further on this part of the district, he said that the lake had a subterranean outlet, so it might bo possible for rabbits to cross there. His next visit was to Ruakituri, and he was confident there were no rabbits there, but he saw traces of hares. He had also a look over some of th? other sheepfarmers' properties, but' the weather was much against him. He then, returned to Wairoa, and he found traces of rabbits at Putere, No. 1 block (Maori land). The indications were very strong. It -was quite possible for rabbitsitO come across from the 'end of the Haungatanueha bush, but where they came from he could noit say. The inspector also stated he had given the. rabbiters various instructions, and had dismissed one rabbi ter. i The monthly return showed that 16 rabbits had been killed m Opotiki, 308 killed m Galatea, 3 killed m Te Teko, 28 m Waihau, 3 m Wairoa; total 358. Wm. Ross, Inspector of Rabbits and Noxious W«eds, wrote that Mr McDonnel, late of Pouawa, and Mr D. M. Herron ,of the New Zealand Insurance Coy., had reported to him that on the 11th inst., when coming through from Whangaparoa to ■- Hick's - Bay recently they'saw a grey rabbit about three miles north of .where the road for Whangaparoa leaves the Wharekaika river. It was ' on " fern ' and scrub country. .Mr Roes explained to the meeting that Mr McEfonnel 1 had,,a good knowleHgevof rabbits^ £nd' he %as surd it w|u» on* s he saw." The bush was' about 7000 or/ QOOO acres, and about 120 miles from Opotiki district, at the back of .Hicks Bay. . Members considered the position serious, arid it was decided to wire to /Inspector McGill to meet Mr McDoflnel, arid* visit the spot arid' report. ■ The secretary was 'instructed to write toithe Government to' have Mr Bowen's nomination confirmed. It was decided to write to iTnsppctor g' McGill, informing hini 1 that Mr Dticker ■ was. the .owner of the island at Ohiwa harbor, and instructing him to give the owner notice to clear the island of. rabbits. yThe- secretary was further' ingtructfed m connection with this matter, to write the Land Board at Auckland to, find out definitely who the lessee* of the* island- was. ' * :"■'••■ It was decided that. the returning officer>(Mr W- J; Hennes^y) take the neceßsary .Btep« . to have the stock lists compiled.. The : Board then went into Committee and '■ considered' various questions.