EAST COAST RABBIT DISTRICT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2697, 30 December 1909, Page 6

EAST COAST RABBIT DISTRICT.

SPECIAL AREA PROCLAIMED

Although, the idea is discredited by many people there appears to be little doubt that the threatened invasion of the district by rabbits ist becoming a very serious menace, as latest reports to hand show that slowly, but surely, the pest is making its way northward, from Hawke's Bay, week by week, is creeping further and further in. Once the rodents -become fairly established it is next door to impossible to exterminate them, as is evidenced by the state of affairs existing in Australia and also in some parts of New In the South Island rabbits have, forsome time, been on the increase, and hundreds of thousands of them have been exported from the Mataura freezing works. In the Commonwealth thousands of men are employed in the rabbit industry, and many are the schemes and devices for the destruction of bunny, but despite all efforts there appears to be no appreciable diminution in the numbers of rabbits in NewSouth Wales and Victoria, while in the west matters are even ivorse, for there whole tracts of land formerly used for pasture purposes have been given over, and are now practically overrun by the‘pest, the settlers having been practically driven from their homes by the ravages of the advancing hordes. This is a matter which has been taken up earnestly by Mr. W. D. Lysnar, and as chairman of the local branch of the Farmers’ Union he was instrumental in drawing the attention of Poverty Bay pastoralists to the gravity of the position. Under his suggestion some little time ago, a petition was circulated throughout this district, and was numerously signed by stock-owners and others, praying for the proclamation of a special district and the establishment of a Rabbit Board to take steps to combat the pest. Although the procedure has been somewhat slow, something definite has now been done, and last week’s Gazette contains a notification to tihe effect that the following district has been declared to be a rabbit district for the purposes of Part 11. of the Rabbit Nuisance Act, 1908: AH that area in the Hawke’s Bay and Auckland Land Districts com-

prising the Opotiki, Waiapu, Wailcohu, and Cook Counties, and parts of the Wairoa, East Taupo, and Whakatane Counties, as now constituted, and bounded as follows: — Towards the north by the 'Bay of Plenty from the mouth of the Rangataike. stream to the East Cape; towards the east by the Pacific Ocean and Hawke’s Bay to the mouth of the "Mobaka river; towards the south by the Mohaka river and the 39th parallel of south latitude to the TaupoNapier road, and bv that road to the Rangataike stream ; and 1 towards the west by that stream to its'mouth. Part 11. of tlie Act authorises .the appointment of a Board of Trustees for the district, such Board to consist of six members, 5 of whom shall be elective, the sixth being the local Inspector of Stock. The stockowners of the declared district shall be tlie electors and the system of election shall be one of plural voting, the number of stock owned by an elector determining tho number of his votes. Part 11. of the Act also gives authority to the Board of Trustees to expend money in any way for the destruction of rabbits by trapping, poisoning, etc., or for the erection of fences. An election will take place shortly and Mr William Ross, of the local branch of the Department of Agriculture, lias been appointed to be tlie Returning Officer. ? Mr Lysnar, who is the Chairman of the local provisional Committee, will, together with Messrs E. M. Hutchinson and J. C. Field, leave for Wairoa today. They will there be met by Mr D. Ross, the Rabbit Inspector for tho Hawke’s Bay District, wihoJs at present operating in the vicinity of tho Mohaka river. The country in the vicinity of Mohaka will be inspected, and also that in file regions of Waikarcmoana, Galatea and Tahora. The party will probably be> absent for over a week.