21 



Clause 10. 



Authentication and service of documents. 



10. Any notice, information, complaint, agreement, or other document, by or from a 

 Rabbit Board, shall be sufficiently authenticated if it is signed by the Chairman of the Board, or, 

 under his direction, by the Secretary of the Board, and authority in the Secretary or Chairman 

 to so sign shall be presumed unless and until the contrary is shown ; and it shall not be necessary 

 for the Eabbit Board to affix its common seal to any document not being a deed. 



Any notice or other document given to or served upon a Eabbit Board may be given to 

 or served upon the Secretary or Chairman thereof. 

 Clause 10 was put to the meeting and carried as printed. 



Clause 11. 



Seventies of Board. 



11. All fines, penalties, rates, and other moneys received by a Eabbit Board under or by 

 virtue of this Act shall form part of a fund to be called the Rabbit Fund of the District. 



Moneys forming part of the Eabbit Fund of the District may be applied by the Rabbit 

 Board to the payment of any expenses of, or incidental to, the Board's administration of this Act, 

 or of any costs or expenses incurred in accordance with provisions of this Act, and not otherwise. 



The Governor may cause the accounts in connection with the Eabbit Fund of the District 

 to be audited, and the expenses of the audit shall, if the Governor so require, be paid out of the 

 Eabbit Fund. 



Clause 11 was put to the meeting and carried as printed. 



Clause 12. 



Babbit Bates. 



12. Every Rabbit Board shall in each year make, or cause to be made, an estimate of the 

 probable sum which will be required (in addition to fines, penalties, and other revenues) to 

 enable it to duly administer this Act throughout the Eabbit District ; and the said sum shall be 

 raised by a Rabbit Rate upon private holdings within the district. 



The amounts levied under the rate shall be proportionate to the respective carrying 

 capacities of holdings ; and to that end 



(i) the Eabbit Board shall, in the first instance, strike the rate as a rate of so much per 

 sheep, but not so as to exceed one halfpenny per sheep in any one year ; and shall 

 forthwith cause notice of the amount of the rate struck to be published in the 

 Gazette, and in one or more newspapers circulating in the district ; 



(n) the Rabbit Board shall estimate as exactly as practicable the number of sheep which 

 every holding within the Rabbit District is capable of carrying with good management 

 in an average season ; and for the purpose of such estimate 



(a) cultivated lands shall be taken to be capable of carrying so many sheep as they 



would carry if laid down in grass ; and 

 (J) lands capable of carrying large stock shall be taken to be capable of carrying 



seven sheep for every head of large stock : 



Provided always that only half rates shall be levied upon any holding enclosed with a 

 fence which in the opinion of the Board is rabbit-proof. 



(in) the Rabbit Board shall have access as prescribed to 



(c) returns of sheep made to Clerks of Petty Sessions and Inspectors of Sheep under 



the Diseases in Sheep Acts or any other Acts ; and 



(d) returns collected by the police or others for statistical or other purposes ; and 



(e) papers connected with the appraisement of the rent or license fee of any Crown 

 lands ; and 



(f) any other public documents having relation to the carrying capacity or condition 

 of any such holding ; 



(iv) the Eabbit Board may authorise a person to inspect a holding, and he may put to any 

 person in occupation or charge of the holding, or to the owner thereof, questions upon 

 all such matters! as shall be necessary for the purpose of ascertaining the carrying 

 capacity thereof, having first informed the person to whom any. such question is put of 

 his purpose in putting questions, and of his authority under this Act to put the same ; 

 and if any such person in occupation or charge or such owner as aforesaid shall refuse 

 or wilfully omit to answer any such question to the best of his knowledge and belief, 

 or shall wilfully make any false answer or statement in reply to any such question, he 

 shall on conviction forfeit and pay a penalty not exceeding ten pounds. 



(v) the Eabbit Board shall determine the amount payable under any such rate in respect 

 of every private holding within the Eabbit District ; and the determination by the 

 Rabbit Board shall, except in case of appeal as hereinafter provided, be final and 

 conclusive: Provided always that no Rabbit Rate shall be payable in respect of any 

 holding estimated to carry less than ten sheep. 



Mr. ALISON (Canonbar) said that this was a very important clause. It dealt entirely with the 

 manner of raising revenue for the Pastures and Stock Boards or Rabbit Boards. He disagreed with it 

 entirely. They had now arranged that the Pastures and Stock Boards were to manage the Rabbit Fund, 

 and, therefore, he thought it would be most advisable that they should adopt some system of taxation 

 similar to that in the Pastures and Stock Act, on per head of stock instead of on the laud. That was a 

 simple system which did not cause any expense whatever and would be easily understood. If the tax 

 were on the land, it would mean that a considerable army of men would have to go round and value all 

 the rents of the land. Every 40-acre selection in the whole place would have to be valued and estimates 

 put on them. He submitted that it would cause an enormous expense to the district which, he held, 

 wour. be perfectly unnecessary. Of course it was true that the Crown held considerable areas in various. 



districts, 



