To Straf the Flying Fox.

Samoanische Zeitung, Volume 20, Issue 16, 17 April 1920, Page 3

To Straf the Flying Fox.

NEW tfSE'EOR FI.AME ;^ The Sydney : of "The Otago-Baily Times" states:-—, i *Z •/* *'•'■ ; "' "■■ The fly|ng fox }s one of the tlwtKNew Zealand does u 8 e > obscene,' atid odorous bat,

nightfall" and preys on {tie fruit crops. It is in daylight. There are thousands of them about Sydney—they may be heard screechmg " and fighting among -the Moreton Bay figs in the % Domain on any Summer night • —yet not one person in a thousand has seen them. ! It is a mystery where they hide. The flying foxes do enormous ,damage to the banana crops in northern New.South Wales and (Queensland, and all sorts of plans have been made for wiping them out. But they are hard to deal with. In these regions, tBBy spend the days in great camps —generally some isolatedfyt of woodland, —and the smell of them spreads over the whole countryside. One may 6re a few shots into them, -. with good results, but the majority escape in the bush. Now, however, the Queensland Department of AgricuV ture promises deadly execution. The officials have secured I through the British War \ Office, six of the flame throw- j ers to which the ingenious j Hun introduced us during the ; war. They each weigh about 561b, and they use a mixture of kerosene, petrol, and heavy | oil,' ignited by a torch ignited by a portable electric battery. They were tested recently in Brisbane, on the river bank and they easily threw a fierce flame a distance of 120 ft. The officials were" satisfied that they would serve excellently ' to wipe out animal pests. There is a great camp of flying foxes near Eudio, and a trial of the flame throwers will probably be made there. The camp will be attacked from all sides simultaneously, so that the pests may not readily escape. After that, other camps will be wiped out • It ought to be a simple matter in ordinary wooded - country, but the camps in the swampy places, among thick mangroves, will be more difficult to deal with.

Authorities have been in a .hurry over issuing medals; there are two instances on record when those entitled to rewards Have -been called upon to wait 50 years fortlieir decorations.