THE VALUE OF RABBIT-SKINS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1368, 29 February 1884, Page 2

THE VALUE OF RABBIT-SKINS.

The price at which rabbits are now sold is a suggestive warning, and it seems incomprehensible that while every colony of the Australasia group is sorely pi'eplexed with the difficulty of keeping down the numbers of these swarming pests, human ingenuity should not have contrived before this to flood the English market with Australian conies. " Where money is to 1 be made," says Adam Smith, " capital will soon find its way ;" and it is easy to demonstrate that a large profit seems to await the enterprising shipper who transfers dead rabbits in large numbers from Melbourne, Sydney, Christchurch, Duuedin, Wellington, Auckland, and Launcestoii to the Thames or the Mersey. Apart from the value of the flesh, rabbit-skins have a regular commercial value in consequence of the hair being well adapted for felting purposes. It is chiefly employed for making the bodies or crowns of felt hats, and their manufacture is now eftected by machinery of a very ingenious construction. "It consists," writes an expert in the trade, "of a hollow cone of copper of the size of the felt cones required by hatters. The copper cone is covered with perforations, and it fits on to a metal shaft by means of a collar, which can be turned round by a band so as to carry the perforated cone with it, At the bottom of the metal shaft is a fan moved by machinery, which produces a strong draught, so that the hairs thrown against the cone are held tightly by the cnrrent of air through the perforations. As the cone revolves its outer surface becomes entirely coated with rabbit hair. When a sufficient thickness is obtained the smooth copper cone is drawn out, leaving a cone of wool, which is felted by the usual process of wetting and beating." After the hair has been removed the skins are sold to the glue makers and used in the manufacture of glue and size. But, in addition, the skins of rabbits are dressed as furs, to supply the amazing demand for cheap coats, waistcoats, and cloaks which has sprung up throughout the civilised world. "So skilfully," adds the same authority from whom, we have already quoted, " is this branch of trade carried on at present that admirable imitations of the rarer and more costly furs are made. Thus ermine and miniver are compounded from white rabbit-skins, the black ones furnishing the spots or tails ; and the common variety is dressed and dyed in various ways to represent the furs of dark-coloured animals." .... Can nothing be done to pour a large and steady supply of dead New Zealand rabbits into the markets of the United Kingdom ? There is a growing prejudice in this country against all kinds of tinned meats and tinned fish ofall kinds, nor can it be doubted that the opinion of our medical men is adverse to the consumption of food which has been tainted by the oxidation of the metal in which it is enclosed. Such, however, are the improvements as regards economy and efficiency which have lately been introduced in the preparation of frozen chambers on board ship that the time is, we hope, not far distant when rabbit-boats will be built on a large scale in order to convey millions of these favorite little quadrupeds to this meat-consuniing country. — 'Daily News. 1