MASTERTON RABBIT DISTRICT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 543, 16 August 1880, Page 2

MASTERTON RABBIT DISTRICT.

;.-.,..;;. i V^ : ", '-.-'^'^''v ; :"<- n - ;V -' i: ■'■■ A mibting of the Trustees of the abete district was held on Saturday, llhliist. ; -Preienirj Mewrs Stuckey (in the chair) Holmes,' and Welch. '' ; ; : u ' •Thejminutes,of,.the.-,preyiouß meeting 'haying been read and:;Cbnfirmed,' r and the : correipondeniqe; and: Jpspector's ! f report • :read, ; ifter diaoussion the vfoUowing 'res'O' - ■lutiong we're .TS&KK-eas* .■'V.THijf aletterte addreuedte the natives; .at.•TePr^Ore,,itetin|.;ithat fati Board': of their number to attend the meetingi

Board on the subject of dealing with rabbits on native land, ■> •' That unless defaulting landowners pay the rates due within 14 days from date legal proceedings will be taken for the recovery of the same.. '. That during the. Inspector's absence, in other parts vfthe.district, Mr.H. Bannister be appointed to superintend the poisoning on the native land at Te Ore Ore. The Inspeotor to proceed on Monday : nex i on .» general tour of inspection, commencing with the A'lfredton Districted report at the next meeting of the Board. The'meeting then adjourned till 11a.m. on Saturday, the2Bth itist. ;, IKSPEOTOEB' KEPOBT. >i M Masterton, 14th August. The Chairman ' Masterton Babbit Trustees. SIR,-I.have to report, for the information _of the Board, that since the last meeting I have been engaged in visiting' various properties' in the vicinity of Masterton.; On the 3rd inst. I visited the properties, belonging to Messrß Hatfield and Campbell. Here I found the rabbits numerous, and served notices on both these persons. On the same day I served notices on Messrs O'Connor and McDertnot; ' On the following day I visited the natives at Te Ore. Ore; to make arrangeroents with them for laying more poison on their land. . On Friday, the 6th inst., 1 proceeded to the Upper Plain, atul inspected the 'properties owned by Messrs R D. Dagg, G. Dagg, and H. Dagg, Osborne, Prentice, Irwin, and Evans. \Messrsß. D. Dagg andT. Osborne are taking steps to keep the rabbits in check, and I find the rabbitß on these properties to be few. As, however, they are very numerous on the surrounding properties, I considered it advisable te aerve notices on all these gentlemen. On the Saturday following I prepared a quantity of poison to lay on Te Ore Ore hills. I also on this day served Mr Carman with a notice in Aspect of a section' of land on the Opaki belonging, to him. On/Monday, the 9th, I proceeded to Te Ore Ore and waß engaged the whole day in superintending and assisting to lay poison the Maori land there. I posted a notice to Mr E. Dorset in respect of a property held by him on the Opaki where the rabbits are numerous, On Tuesday, the 10th, I was also assisting to lay poison on' Te Ore Ore, The following day, as the Ruamahunga was flooded,"! was unable to finish laying the poison already mixed for the natives. On this day! posted notices to Messrs Jicob Joseph, of Wellington j and Mr T, ;Hitchings, Whareama, in respect of land held by them on the OpaE On Thursday and Friday, the 12th and 13th, the Euamahunga being still in flood, I was unable to proceed with the .poisoning on Te Ore Ore. On the 13th I visited the property belonging to Mr J. V. Smith, as well as that leased by him to Mr D. Heggie. On both of these properties I found jabbits to be numerous and served notices accordingly. ; With regard to the Te Ore Ore hills, I have to report that since we commenced, about 2001bs of poisoned wheat has been laid with the assistance of the natives under my superintendence.- It is however very diffioult-to get them to turn out with.any degree of regularity, and they appear glad to avail themselves,of the least excuse to avoid layingthe poison. - I am in hopeshoweverthat whenthe most remote part of the native land is-fin'is&e'd, theywiU:haveleas'ob]ection : to-the work, pre especially.as,'from;'informationreceived, I believe there is every reason to be satisfied'with the,work already done. •I'he: river (Ruamahunga), having been flooded .for ..several days*- I have been unable to make a personal inspection, but am told that the poisoning onTe Ore Ore hills has up to the present been very.suecessful. -.;■: ■■■ ■■■■-• :The natives complain that they do not understand the Act at all, and would like to be represented by one of their people ,on the Board of Trustees. There .is, however,- very little for them'to find fault with,, they are not asked to pay rate3,,and they get poison mixed for nothing;' all they are .requested to do js to lay it, and I hope when they Bee the benefit to be derived from the use'of the inixture, and that their efforts are attended with success, the difficulty of dealing with this particular piece of country, will ; be greatly diminished.; I desire to explain to the Board that so much of my time during the past fortnight has been occupied with- attending to this native land on Te Ore Ore -that I have done little in the way 'of general inspection, thoughi am.well aware there are. many properties which should be viaited. Norhavelyethadtimeto re-Visit those properties in respect of whioh notices have already been served, for thepurpose of ascertaining whether efficient steps are being taken to keep the. pest down, as I considered it of the greatest importance to induce and encourage the natives to use poison. It was {necessary to devote a considerable portion of my time to this speoial work. ■■ I trust, how- • ever, soon to be enabled to make, a thorough inspection of the whole district, I have, Ac, Robert Campbeu, •. ■ Inspeotor. The following letter has been addressed by the Chairman of the Masterton : Rabbit Distriot to Mr Beetham,M.H.R,; 1 ; Masterton, 2nd August, 1880. SiE,—l.have been, requested by the Trustees of the Masterton Rabbit District to forward the enclosed letter to thejHon. the Colonial Secretary.through you, as one of the representatives of the distriot ; and to request you will use your influence with; the Government in furtherance of the requests contained therein."Copies of the enclosed letter[have been forwarded to the'various. Boards of, Rabbit Trustees throughout the colony, with a view of securing their co-operation in the matter. - 1 .--...,; I have, Ac., (signed) Jamis Siuokey, Chairman. [Enclosure.j The Hon. the Colonial Secretary. : Masterton, 2nd August, 1880. Sir,—As rabbits in New, Zealand are spreading with alarming rapidity, in many districts, and must eventually cause great destruction and very serious loss to landowners throughout the whole colony unless efficient means are taken to keep them in cheok, and in view of the fact that it is impossible for owners and occupiersto keep them in check on unoccupied Government and native land, where, in many-instances, they are most numerous,. the.Trustees of the Masterton Rabbit District respectfully, suggest that the Government iho'uld.uiiit in the destruction—firstj by plaoiug a Bum of, say £IOOO on the Estimates to .be distributed as a bonus for' the introduction of stoats . and weasels, giving publicity to this by .advertisement in Jnglish .pap"ers j and second; by removing the duty on,'lid presentreitrictionß regarding the sale of i ammunition (for rabbit purposes only), so : : that Trußtees.of; Rabbit.; Districts may be ; enabled to distribute it to owners at much : ;lei» coat and with, greater faeility than at. ! (present, -^^P^^'if-y^■::"" < •([■-' ; litcjuM .thV matter into favorable MnsidMation,'M 1 there can be m doubt unlesi greater, : ifc*

iucbeck, therabbitiiuikncewillßDeadilv (Signed) . JAMA 3 Stuckst, ' '_-..:■ 1 Chairman.