BLACKBERRY MENACE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 16010, 21 December 1922, Page 5

BLACKBERRY MENACE.

ASSISTING THE DEPARTMENT IN CONTROL MEASURES. • . ...-

Tlie blackberry is conceded to bo one of the most serious menaces to the value -of land in the East. Coast district, and it has been stated frequently and On good authority that there are- many areas in the Wairoa district that have become absolutely useless, owing to., the spread of the. pest. Recently the Ditec-tor-General of'the Live Stock Division, Agricultural Department, met a conference of ■ fanners and local body delegates to discuss control measures, and there is little doubt that the Department will later issue special regulations for the setting up of a board with rating powers, on the same, lines as those adopted for the eradication of the rabbit. .■ i , • . - J -> In the meantime, however, the pest can be partially controlled by tile •enforcement of the provisions of the Noxious Weeds Act, under which the inspector of the stock division can compel any propcrtv-owner 'to clear blackberry from his'holding. The Poverty Bay' provincial executive of the 11armors' Union has-takeu up the matter, and has proposed to the county councils in the East Coast Area that an unofficial board of farmers be set up to assist tJie noxious weeds' inspector to locate patches of the weed in order that he may take steps- to have-" such patches destroyed. So far, the proposition js bcino- received with' scant favor.. It was held"'by the council that an 'unofficial body such as that suggested would have no authority, and would • therefore be useless, since its '.notices could be ignored by the farmers. The Council therefore decided to take no action beyond: urging the Government. to ; legis-late-as soon as possible with a •view to setting up official boards. This was. conveyed-to the Farmers' Union in a- letter received by Mr. W. M, Bayly yesterday, i In' conversation With a reporter, Mr. Bayly to-day stated that the "council-appeared to belaboring under a • misapprehension as to .the objects of tho proposed board. The suggestion was not that-the board should call upon the-farmers to cut blackberry, but that it should advise •the noxious weeds inspector df the location, of patches of the pest. It. was manifestly impossible for the inspector tp .cover the district in search of tlie Weed, more especially as the department's • Poverty Bay branch was working, short-handed. His duty was to issue,the notices calling upon property holdeVs to', destroy the weed, but he -could, not do this un 1 til .the weed had been located. The proposed board would simply corfvey to the inspector intelligence, as -to' where the blackberry was. .to be found,'and he would do. tho rest, issuing the notice, and if necessary, taking action against defaulters. . There was no question of the board taking action beyond - the point.indicated. Further, onco the. board was nominated there would be no need ("•en .for it to meet, as an official, of tho "Union or of one of the• councils could carry out general instructions upon receipt of information from any of the board members. Tlie extreme urgency of the question could notbesaid, and if tho district waited for the Department to move-in the.iinatter of providing legislation for tho setting up of official the , present opportunity would be lost, and, the blackberry would flower ; and seed" without hindrance, with the result that next year the problem would be an even in ore serious one. Mr... Bayly expressed tho hopo that the Cook Couniy Council would see its way to reconsider its cision, in view of the effect it might have upon'the of the other councils concerned. ....