The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, JULY 31, 1886. THE RABBIT NUISANCE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1539, 31 July 1886, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY , JULY 31, 1886. THE RABBIT NUISANCE.

The report of the Committee uppointed by Parliament to enquire into the working of the Rabbit Nuisance Act directs attention to the fact that notwithstanding all that has been done to abate the nuisance, the number of rabbits is constantly increasing, as well as the area of land infested by them. At the present time the rabbits are making their way into Canterbury “ from the Amur! in the north, and the Mackenaie Country in the louth-west,” and the King Country, Wairarana, Hawkes’ Bay, and other parts of the North Island are threatened with becoming bunny’s happy hunting grounds. In Hawke’s Bay the inhabitants ap- . pear to have treated the threatened invasion of the province very seriously, and to provide against the spread of the pest they hare erected a rabbitproof fence, the cost of which has been defrayed by a voluntary rate, administered by a Board elected by the contributors. This has been found to work well, and is one course suggested to suppress the nuisance. The Com miltee hold that except in very rare instances it is possible to reduce the pest to harmless dimensions. Past experience shows this to be correct, but simultaneous action on the part of the landowner* is absolutely necessary. The remedies suggested are: A liberal use of phosphorised grain, fining in rabbit burrows and water-runs, liberaiing stoats, weasels, ferrets, oats, etc., of which the Government ought to " take steps to provide for a large and constant supply,” and ferrets ought also be bred by contract locally. Without going too deeply into this matter, we may say tlmt we are afraid the cure would be wor»e than the disease. Stoats and weaaels are not the enemies of rabbits only, but are also the enemies of auy of our domestic animals they are strong enough to injure. There is no barm in the rabbit except that ho eats the grass ofi the land, and thus renders it valueless ; but stoats and weasels have been known to be even dangerous to human life, and if they are to be turned out wholesale alt over the country in the way suggested, the day will come when they will be a greater nuisance than even the rabbits, Experience has proved that phosphorised grain, with the assistance of rabbit-proof-fenced paddocks has successfully coped with the rabbit pest, and in our opinion it would be far better to concentrate all energy on such a mode of killing them, than to let loose through the tountry the most vicious element in the animal kingdom. Stoats and weasels will multiply, and the day must come when their destruction will be as necessary as the destruction of the rabbit is at present. The Committee propose some slight alterations in the existing law. The maximum penalty should bo incre'asfd to £IOO, but the defendant should be given power to appeal when the fine exceeds £lO. They also suggest to give the ratepayers in any one or more caun lie* power to petition the Governor to place the administration of the Rabbit Niisaace Act in the hands of irasteee elected by themselves, Such tr«»t*es should have power to levy rates, to do anything necessary under

the Act, end to erect wire-netting fencer, or any other proactive works to arrest the spread of the nuisance. If there precautions were taken the suppression of the rabbits is perfectly practicable, aud even individual settlers or groups of settlers can cope successfully with them. With regard fo the working of the Act, any failure is attributed to the appointment of inspectors, “ whose previous history furnish nothing but a record of failures in other walks of life, and incapacity and unfitness for any responsibility such as is contemplated by tins Act.” This hits tha inspector* pretty hard, and is doubtless directed to some incompetent persons. It is time some protest was entered against the appointments which are frequently made by successive Governments to positions such as are referred to, but we donbi very much whether it will have the least effect. If the brother of Lord Tom .Noddy or some other “tenth transmitter of a foolish face ” apply for » position under the Government, his fitness for : it is never questioned. The parvenu in whose gift such positions too frequently are is only too glad to have it iu his power to be of service to any useless pedigreed individual. Honest worth and capacity have no chance against such people, and it is not often that capable men succeed in securing such appointments. Our iShcep Kings, too, who sat on the Committee, would doubtless have taken no notice of the incapacity of inspectors only that it happens that they are personally concerned, and they were prompted by self-interest, but we feel confident their protestations will have very little effect, and that useless gentility will continue to monopolise Government billets. There is one thing in the report which specially concerns this district. It says that we are threatened with an invasion from the Mackenzie Country, and in another paragraph adds that “ within a few years a large number of Crown pastoral leases will expire, and that the tenants are becoming daily less interested in the destruction of rabbils on tneir holdings.” This paragraph appears to ns as specially applicable to the Mackenzie Country. The pastoral leases are drawing to a close there, and if the assertion made is true, wu may expect that bunny will be allowed to increase and multipy therein peace aud quietness.