MASTERTON RABBIT DISTRICT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 793, 14 June 1881, Page 2

MASTERTON RABBIT DISTRICT.

i [.■.;> \s£\ ~ ! ;y,i Inspector's Bepobt. ! -.■•! p'.! Wi '4 V i •Masterton, June 10th. The v Chairmsfi Mfisterton Rabbit Trustees. ''Sffi—r'haye'now the honor to submit, for : {iif information of the Board the report of my proceedings! since the ■meeting-of ■ the-TfUstees7"O)i-the-80th5-" ult. I visited the, properties of .Messrs B. Campbell 'and 'Douglass' 'I findW'both ,these,:places.,poisort.is;Mng^use i d^ith i^; greatsuccess, .• fin thejfoUowingjlayl.' inspected the] properties of jMeasrs McKay, ( J. McLachlan/C.'MoLachlan, andtfara .'•*• The two first mentioned of ,these have b.een using ; poison, .with'''exceileiiV eiffect/' !.if^' I Hare lias had,' until'the last n men who were doing nothing else'but"'' Mlling rabbits; they have bad some difficulty in dealing with the pest| However, k the rabbits are numerous on at least one of the adjoiriingiproperties./ I-am-informed that one of Mr Hare's 1 sons is going to-re-sideon the ground almost immediately, with a view to poisoning the rabbits syste- : inatically, and I trust to be able to report favorably of his work very'shortly.M With ■ regard to Mr CohnMcLachlah's'lahd, but 'little has been done to reduce'ttie rkbbits, / considering the size of the holding'ind '' the number of rabbits on it.,'' ; The nature. . of the ground "is such' as to necessitate a plentiful use of poison, it being difficult to kill.the rabbits either with,dog,pr,gun where there is somuchcoveiV; In accordance with instructions, I visited the locality complained of by Mr M. MoLeod on the' ißuamahunga. 11' find; there ;is some Government land about there, but not many rabbits emit? With thoexception of some islands') on' tlieiriyer/bed, on .which there, are .certainly a good many rabbits, the country in 'that' locality' ia dense bush. -Twould suggest the'advisa- , bility of some;, arrangements; being bytheTrasteesforiaymgpbisoiiontn'ese' ' islands at once, in the cases where the ownership may be .doubtful.' Messrs Nathan & Co. have made ammge'ments : with Mr f.; Harris for .poisoning otf their? land, and.this is now being done. 'On; the saine day 1 visited with Mr ; Henry'' ■ Bannister prop'ei'ties'm the occupation'of Messrs J. V. Smith and.J.; Bauiiiber. The poison laid by Mr: Srrnth: .has been ' veiy effective, as we sawjery"few live rabbits but plenty of- dead ones. Mr Smith is nowpoisoning.onthe.back.part of his land. -We found:the ; rabbits,very numerous on the 'back part ;of .Mr J, Baumber's lease, On that portion of the property wo did not observe any traces of poison having been laid;' 'Onthe' following day, proceeding to the Taueruj Ii;;, passed through the properties of Messrs Jones, D. McKenzie, P..Gi Moore, and Livingstone. On all of these properties poison isbeing used with effect. On the properties of the two latter I observed a dead' rabbits, The next day I visited the .properties occupied ( ,by 'Messrs Hadfield, James, and' Falioo'n. Mr Hadfield has two men doing nothing else but'poisoning; ; They 'had' been en-1«,. gaged about a week at itouthe occasion of my visit, and I am glad to be able to report that the. poisoning on this property has been attended with great success, i Mr ' James is also poisoning.' MrFalloon'haa' '■'■ nob yet commenced poisoning, but promised to do So on my representing to ihim the'importance of his losing no time in the matter. On the 7th instant I visited' the properties of Messrs' W. Day, I J. Tuck (Bahgitumau),D. McLachlan,' andi'j Gibson. Poison is being used freely on these lands, except by Mr Tuck.' This gentleman has been erecting rabbifcprpof fencing, and as this is all hilt completed, he is waiting till it is so before poi§°flin(si \vbich ho intends to begin i}?w ■>«*!" '?i)p' w0 in the occupation of Mr QJbsqn wUI shpjfly be fenced in with rabbit-proof fenpe, I vjsited to-day the properties of Messrs W. Harris, H. Campbell, and J, Carnp : lifljl, On the two forrqer there.are not niany i'alib,ltß,'eftloioiit steps bejng takjn,.; to keep them in check, Ifr J, tiampbejl,,, ooramences poisoning npxt week, Owjng to the business of the Native Lands Court,.: the Te Ore Ore natives were unable to.go over when I.was at liberty, ; for the puv. { \ pose of mixing poison foivthera," I. am * informed, however, 'that'one or'two of them are competent- to mix itheir 'own poison, Babbits have decreased a good deal about the front hills, but on Mate; ,; i hiwi they are still numerous, My presence being required in the oases which oame. on for hearingin theR.M, Court yesterda}', I have not yet been able to proceed to Wellington, and the notices on landowners resident in-that place have not yet beenßerved. ' ; '' - f - ' ■■•'. I',

, I have, &c, James Harvey, jiin.j. ' - /'lnspector.