EXTERMINATION OF RABBITS

Southland Times, Issue 24422, 30 April 1941, Page 6

EXTERMINATION OF RABBITS

Progress Of Boards In Southland

The remarkable prograss made in the establishment of rabbit boards in Southland in the last year was emphasized at a dinner and social evening for representatives of boards and commercial interests held last night. A list placed before the gathering showed that there were seven boards in existence, three were to have their areas greatly enlarged and 13 new boards were in process of formation. Tributes were paid to the work of Mr O. O. Mackley, district stock inspector, who had organized the movement in Southland. Mr T. McKenzie was chairman.

Until a year or so ago there had been only four rabbit boards in Southland, but now there were 20 in existence or in process of formation, said Mr M. P. Schmidt, chairman of the Woodlands Rabbit Board, in proposing the toast “The Department of Agriculture.” But for the assistance of officers of the department this could not have been brought about. One of the functions of the department was the administration of the Rabbit Nuisance Act, said Mr C. V. Dayus, superintendent of the live-stock division of the department for Otago and Southland. At the end of the last war there had been only four rabbit boards in New Zealand and there had been a great increase in the pest. Now there were 69 boards of which 21 were in the South Island. These boards collected £30,000 a year in rates and received a subsidy of a similar amount. PEST REDUCED The boards in Southland had been effective in reducing the numbers of rabbits in the province. Southland was very fortunate in having such an enthusiastic rabbit board supporter as Mr Mackley. Ulterior motives had been attributed to him. He certainly had a motive and that was the extermination of rabbits by the most satisfactory system yet evolved. Southland had a fine reputation for the quality of the lambs it exported to Great Britain, said Mr Dayus. The farmers had increased production remarkably to an output of 1,400,000 lambs a season. It was gratifying that the farmers of Southland were apparently determined to maintain, their production and prevent any reduction from a further development of the rabbit pest. » When the whole province of Southland was covered by rabbit boards the task of extermination would be very much easier, said Mr John Macdonald in proposing the toast “The Rabbit Boards of Southland.” It was a changing world and if the records of Invercargill could be searched it would probably be found that in the early days a similar gathering had been held to celebrate the release of the rabbits. The boards now had to undo the harm that had been done in the past. MR MACKLEY HONOURED

In proposing a toast to Mr Mackley, Mr D. Macpherson said there were two men who had conferred a great benefit on Southland. One was Mr William Watson, who had been a pioneer in top-dressing; the other was Mr Mackley, who had recognized that the production of Southland could be greatly. increased by the extermination of rabbits. In .1.926 the Lochiel Rabbit Board, the first in Southland, had been about to go out of existence when Mr Mackley arrived in Southland. He had put the board on to a sound basis and made it a great success. Mr Macpherson said he was now in a rabbit area and he regarded the money spent in rates as the finest investment he had ever made. There was no comparison in the present production of his farm with that of the time when it carried 700 or 800 rabbits.

The Orepuki rabbit area was the largest in Southland, and it was a rough area, said Mr Robert Wilson, chairman of the board, in supporting the toast. Mr Mackley had given the board the utmost assistance in organization and operation. But for the assistance of those farmers who were enthusiastic in the extermination of the rabbits his efforts would have come to nothing, said Mr Mackley in his reply. Rabbit boards were now seeking to set right the sins of the past. Rabbit boards in existence or in process of formation in Southland covered an area of about 1.000,000 acres, equal to one-quarter of the cultivated land in the province. During the 10-year period from 1927 to 1936, 108.000.000 rabbit skins had been exported from New Zealand representing a value of £3.628.000. Against that revenue should be taken the loss in carrying capacity of sheep caused by that number of rabbits, which might be estimated at 10,823,000 ewes. This would represent a net national loss of £719.500 for each of the 10 years. Several other toasts were also honoured and songs were contributed by Messrs F. Jones, A. P. O’Callaghan and F. G. Clark, Mrs F. Jones was accompanist.