RABBIT BOARD.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12615, 18 November 1911, Page 5

RABBIT BOARD.

1 The monthly meeting of the East .'Coast Rabbit Board was held to-day, fc _^*^^^ftAi u ' e6ent : Messrs W. 13. Ls_fia*r, T5. M : . Hutchinson, T. Holden, and W. Rossi It 4k being the annual meeting the |ecfe*t*u^V ' Mr Hennessy.. invited nominations) for chairmanship. ,_'Mir Lysnar said his services would be available until February next, when 1r : w&uld be going Home on a trip for six ojp. seven months. O'n the motion of ""5© Hutchinson, seconded, by Mr BBlden, Mr Lysnar .was reelected chairman. • tin returning thanks, the chairman 4 siffld there was ' no need", to alter the 'frjsslicy of the Board,, and while things going as at present the'ratepayers had no reason to. complain. $Mr Hutchinson remarked there was nb* desire to alter the Board's ; policy. . jjjrispedtor MdGiil, reporting' from GMatea, stated he had just finished an ijrapection of hi? district, . and found tufngs very satisfactory. The. men at the '.Whakatane end were catching very few rjp)bits, and had the place very clean. Tfrf'w'ould, however, take some time befme they could say they had the last r|t>bit. The Te Teko 'men had shifted cjmvp. as they had almost got rid bf tߧ' pest. Ruatoki men were catching '&sß>ut eight a week; Waihpu,- Galatea, aftfl Te Whaiti were also very clean. l|^..thpught,|*^ gopd. . poisoning would do the back country once in two years, atid the . frontage every year. — The chairman stated that he had taken' an opportunity tc! inspect the work in the Galatea and Te Wra.iti districts, ancl as indicated in a recent interview, he was well satisfied with the result of the Board's operations in the northern portion of the district.— Members expressed theniselves as being very pleased with the chairman's information. — Mr "Lysnar added that the poisoning had ; been so effective that next season* the expenditure should be abont half.— Mr Hutchinson remarked that two .years ago. when he visited Galatea, the rabbits were to be seen in tens and twenties. Mr Lysnar declared there was not a rabbit to be seen at present. The chairman brought under the Board's notice a Suggestion re alteration of- the boundary, and it was agreed to do nothing in the matter at present. The question of paying the Natives of the Galatea district for rabbits killed at so much per head was discussed, and it was decided not to entertain the request. • ... . . Inspector Turner. Wairoa, reported bavin* "visited Mohaka and Tutaekun Native blocks, Putere, and also Tara- § wera. i Good > .work. had been done on **? Mohaka/*and' iii each case: #e¥e he hjtd located ra'bbWthe men had shdvvn good results. He found it necessary to add to the staff for the Mohaka block, as he was ttfreatenedj)!' t% invasionffrom the _Hawke^^3%^ AJreaHJ rabb#. were coming across the river. Wrßh reference to" the Tutaekuri block, only one rabtat had' b*se_. cattgbV'tltis month, and he.'3eh\ &r_. the rw&s clean, but would require *a d_reful" watch, as rabbits could and would work their way down from Mohaka. As soon, he could procure- two suitable; men he in, tended placing Cone on the upper reaches of the Waihua river, and the other on the country thence down to/ the Tutae ; kuri block. This should prove effective: He located rat?bits on and despatched "a, rahfbiter, and he caught one and ppisppedf^ne' in the vicinity. He found Willow/;, flat quite clean. Going on to Tarawe/a, he inspected the tatter and the new PdhdKura ; cpiintry. :?»**awera was clean at present, but rabbits had onlv to come across the road front the Hawke's Bay side.* On another property there were still odd rabbits, but ne felt sure the rabbiter could keep them in hand. —„---.- -- „ -,-. + „ The Chairman said he would try to visit thp locality ,j» January. The inApector^was; in*struc^d v *to . engage, w-hat-Ser n^^h^ijea^i^^ cope Jith the threatened invasion from Hawke s Bay, $T*t A!wi« - a SE of the repoEt referring to the rabbits .loming %ftrsn .Hawk|s .Bay toLispec**6r RosC'ih%aTge^pf l, ltawke's' Bay. "■' Mr P Keegan. Taneatua wrote stat?6_ heSvas'«i*rig hisnonnnhtipn for a Sat. on the Board. He thought a mem-b#*wWh^a-^in y Wiis '•m&M.m:*™ trict who was in direct touch withthepest. 'The rabbits were making a. steady advance in spite of. the .efforts of the rabbiters. He believed he could do L^good work in keeping a direct supervision Hover the Board's operations there. The rabbits were up: to the "Whakatane river and once they were across it they would get into the felled bush country, and it would be very hard to get them out.— The secretary stated that; he had replied that the nomination was informal. The Chairman stated that v the tmancial /statement shoVed that they had a - debit balance of. £385. A^auwt tha*, - thev had overdue rates. £207 and Government subsidy fiatfineaving a work^ ing balance of £1952. They wereno* spending about £250 a month They would have to strike another rate next year, but not anything like the amount orieinally raised. '.'.'.,.„■ Mr T. Holden was elected treasurer.