RABBIT BOARDS

Southland Times, Issue 25746, 9 August 1945, Page 6

RABBIT BOARDS

Sir,—ln your issue of August 4 appears a letter from W. Woods—mostly sarcasm levelled at the Rabbit Boards Council and at three boards—concerning the back-scratching and very important men, etc. Mr Woods does not go far when he gives his own back a wee bit of a rub. He says: “As representative of many returned men.” Sir, this sort of thing gets us nowhere. Let Mr Woods give us something better than what we have got. Private trappers or private enterprise, as he calls it, we have had for over 50 years and where has it got us? Thousands of acres of beautiful land have been eaten out by rabbits at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds to the State and thousands of acres of hill country ruined for all time. Mr Woods sits fairly comfortably where he is situated, and I venture to say knows very little of what the rabbit can eat and does destroy; and nothing about what it costs some of his neighbours to keep the pest from spreading across the country on to his farm. With reference to exploiting returned men, I have yet to hear of a ratepayer in the Orepuki area being exploited in any way, and I can safely say that the ratepayers here under this board are by a big majority right behind the board. Till such time as Mr Woods can give me something better I Say KEEP GOING.

Sir-, —From my own experiences and discussions with men at this war, I am of the opinion that the great majority were quite happy, and ready on their return, to abide by any decisions made at home by local bodies, whether they be rabbit boards or any other board, and I am certain that there is not the amount of grousing on the part of returned men of this war over the formation and functioning of rabbit boards as Mr Woods would have the general public believe. He does not make it clear in his numerous letters whether he is a duly elected leader of the “Rabbit Boards Opposition” or whether he is self elected. However, he does claim in no uncertain manner to represent returned men of both wars. I and other returned men do not hold the same views on the subject as Mr Woods, and consider the rabbit boards have done, and are Continuing to do, an excellent job of work. His continual references to returned men would make it appear that these members of the community have a grievance. Doubtless, he, as a member of the executive of the R.S.A., has brought

this matter up before the association, and surely, if any grievance exists, the R.S.A. would be the body to take it up. RETURNED MAN.