PRICE OF RABBITS

Southland Times, Issue 22042, 15 June 1933, Page 8

PRICE OF RABBITS

FREEZING VALUES. SKINS DECIDING FACTOR. The high price of rabbits throughout the Dominion has led to a great deal of trapping and poisoning in Southland, and although there are rumours to the effect that prices must fall, more rabbiters are commencing operations in country districts almost daily. Inquiries yesterday regarding the prices being paid show that the advance is entirely due to the high price of skins and not to any unusual demand for the carcasses on the Home market.

The rabbits at present being taken into the freezing works are all being skinned before .the carcasses are frozen, the demand for skinned rabbits on the Home market being quite good at the present time. Earlier in the season, when rabbits were only realizing from 3d to 5d a pair, they were frozen in the fur, but as the prices advanced a certain number were skinned until at the present time all carcasses are being skinned. Where' rabbiters are within reach of the freezing works they prefer to sell for export and thus avoid the labour of skinning and drying skins, which limits the number of traps one -man can handle, but further back all rabbiters are curing skins. A farmer from the Southern District, who visited the city yesterday, said that rabbits were more plentiful than ever before, and a large number of men were already at work with traps. They were all curing the skins, although more rabbits could be handled if they were sent to the freezing works. Another farmer from Woodlands said it was an easy matter to get 10/- worth of rabbits each morning by setting a few traps.