THE WAR AGAINST RAGWORT.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 April 1934, Page 6

THE WAR AGAINST RAGWORT.

A rather curious contrast is presented by Mr. W. J. Polson’s intimation that legislation is being prepared with the object of placing control of ragwort in the hands of county councils. On the one hand, the dairy industry has confessed its inability to cope satisfactorily with the prevailing circumstances, and the Government has been called upon to do what it can; on the other hand, Government control of the ragwort menace has not been successful, and it is now proposed to decentralise the control, placing it in the hands of a number of individual organisations. In the case of ragwort the suggested policy has much to commend it On the principle that each rural district must solve its own ragwort problem, the local authority in each case is apparently to be given power to expand its general funds, to apply any subsidies that may be received for the purpose of controlling weeds on Native or Crown lands, to strike a rate, or to call on private owners to clear ragwort, and failing their doing so, to put men on the property to clear it at the owner’s expense. Such powers are drastic, but the seriousness of the position justifies drastic measures. Perhaps the best feature of the proposed change of control is that county councils know better than any other organisation or individual the position in their own particular districts, they know the properties that are responsible for the spread of ragwort seed, and they know (or ought to know) who are the triers and who are the shirkers, as well as each farmer’s capacity to pay for a campaign against the weed. Armed with this knowledge they should be able to administer the regulations justly and effectively, dealing with each case on its merits. It should not be forgotten, however, that the real niggers in the woodpile are in most cases Crown and Native lands and land belonging te absentee owners. The Government's first duty is to put its own house in order; and unless, in addition, means are provided for dealing with Native and absentee-owned land the scheme will fail. It is both unjust and useless to penalise the private landowner if any other class of landowner is beyond the reach of the controlling authority. It is to be hoped that this fact is realised, and that provision will accordingly be made in the proposed legislation.