RABBITS INCREASING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 90, Issue 56, 8 March 1946, Page 4

RABBITS INCREASING

DAMAGE TO RANGITIKEI PASTURES CATCHMENT BOARD’S CONCERN Concern at the damage caused to pastures by rabbits, was expressed by the Rangitikei Catchment Board in a letter before the Rangitikei CountyCouncil at its meeting in Marton yesterday. The board asked for details of the extent of the county area covered by rabbit boards. “The county engineer is supplying a map wh.ch will define the various rabbit districts,” said the county clerk, Mr. F. L. Nicol. Cr. A. D. Mair, a member of the Catchment Board, said that there were some gaps between these distances, with the result that in some portions of the county nothing was being done to destroy rabbits. In other districts rabbit boards were overlapping. It had been suggested at the Catchment Board's meeting last week that the Rangitikei County should take over this work and control the destruction of rabbits in the whole of its area.

"This should have been taken up by the Rangitikei County Council many years ago,” said Cr. A. S. Coleman. He quoted as an example the wide area which came under the jurisdiction of the Hunterville Rabbit Board. The pests were swarming in the southern end of the board’s district and the rabbit levy was so small that little could be done. The time was overdue when the county should take over the control of rabbits in the whole of the area.

The levy imposed on farmers by the Hunterville Rabbit Board was so small that it was sufficient only for the salaries of the secretary and the inspector, said Cr. H. G. Stewart. “I don't think farmers would object to paying more, provided that they got some results, but I’m not in favour of the county taking over the destruction of rabbits,” Cr. Stewart added. “It has enough to do already.” Few people realised the amount of work which a rabbit board had to do, said the chairman, Cr. K. W. Dalrymple. He did not think that the county could do the work with its present staff and facilities. Its main concern was the maintenance of roads and bridges. Shortage of poison, lack of manpower and insufficient supplies of ammunition were responsible for the increase in rabbits, the chairman declared.

Cr. Mair: The suggestion made at the Catchment Board meeting was that all rabbit boards in the county should be amalgamated and controlled by the one head. The chairman: The rabbit boards would not agree to that. “It appears that lower down in the county where there is a better class of country, the rabbits are out of control,” said Cr. W. Doole.

“There is a strip near the Porewa Stream which is a menace to everybody, but the farmers will not agree to being included in the Rabbit Board’s area,” said the chairman. “It is for the ratepayers to move and see that the boards affected do their work,” said Cr. Stewart. Cr. Mair: The Catchment Board has not made any recommendation. It is merely seeking information.” The council agreed to supply the details required.