CATTLE TICK REGULATIONS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 15763, 2 March 1922, Page 3

CATTLE TICK REGULATIONS.

INJUSTICE TO MOTU SETTLERS.

A grave injustice would appear to be imposed upon the settlers in the Motu and Matawai districts by the newlyissued Cattle tick regulations. By the boundai-ies adopted, an area of country extending from Opotiki practically right through to the Motu township has been included in the infected area. This, it will be seen, brings the menace right up to the “back door” of the district, and consequently must make the danger greater than if the boundary had been chosen on the northern side of the mountain range that forms the natural divide between Gisborne and the Bay ofFlenty. Another effect of the regulations will be to impose upon the Motu and Matawai settlers who are just across the boundary , the necessity for dipping cattle before allowing the same to cross over into JL area on this side of the border. Far-

reaching restrictions are thus placed upon the movement of stock depasturing in

what is acknowledged by the Department’s inspectors themselves to be an absolutely “clean” area. Seeing that Gisborne is the market to •which these settlers bring their stock, the matter is a very serious one to those concerned. Questioned on the subject to-day, Mr. W. M. Bayly, the secretary of the Farmers’ Union executive, said the boun-

dary , question formed the bone of contention, and as the Minister had previously complained that this was holding up the issue of the regulations, the Farmers’ Union representatives had

agreed to make the concession in order that the regulations should be issued forthwith. They had, however, been given the definite assurance of the Department that when it was demonstrated the included area at Motu was free of tick, the'boundary could be placed further north. -i j. The matter is certainly one that should be taken up during the visit of thr Prime Minister, and absolute prohibition of stock coming from the A or infected area should be insisted upon, together with the immediate alteration of the boundary by extending the border line back closer to Opotiki, or certainly tj> Toatoa.

The Government’s scheme of dealing with the cattle tick was before a recent meeting of the executive of the Ivaipara sub-provincial district of the Farmers’ Union, when the discussion was all against the proposal. The meeting passed a resolution expressing dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of the proposed cattle tick regulations as a means of eradicating the pest, and urging oil I the live Stock Department to make the i fullest investigations into the life cycle of the particular tick affecting that area; also that as the Government insisted on cattle dips being built in various districts and have not gazetted regulations enforcing the dipping of afflicted cattle, the individuals who guaranteed to the, associations the money to erect dips are not receiving any revenue to meet expenses, and that the Government be requested to take over all / financial liability in connection with these dips.