4,2 



he would receive nothing at all, because the betterment would be put against it. It was a principle 

 which he at any rate did not believe in. Ho did not think the Court of Petty Sessions was competent to 

 assess it. 



Mr. OAKDEN (Cobar) withdrew his proposition. 



Mr. ALISON (Canonbar) said he would like to see the latter part of the clause struck out altogether. 



Mr. OAKDKN (Cobar) said he agreed with Mr. Alison. He proposed that the whole of the words 

 after "Land Board" be struck out, and that the " Court of Petty Sessions" be inserted in place of 

 " Local Land Boards." 



Mr. GIBSON (Hay) moved that the whole of the clause be struck out. 



Mr. LESLIE (Forbes) withdrew the original motion that the clause be passed as printed, and sup- 

 ported Mr. Oakden. 



Mr. FIIEEMAN seconded Mr. Oakden. He thought it was a very wise provision indeed, although 

 be might have a rabbit-proof fence running right against, or perhaps absolutely on his boundary, it would 

 not be put there by the Board for his convenience, and, although it miglit be a benefit to some extent, 

 they could be sure that the Board would do its best for the whole district. 



Mr. NIXON (Gunbar) seconded Mr. Gibson's motion. 



Mr. ALISON (Canonbar) supported Mr. Oakden's amendment. 



The question of striking out the clause was put and lost. 



The CHAIRMAN then put Mr. Oakden's motion to the meeting, and it was carried. 



Clause 23 as amended put to the meeting and carried. 



Clause 24.. 



Maintenance of Carrier-fences. 



24. It shall be the duty of the Rabbit Board to keep in good repair and efficiently 

 maintain 



(a) every barrier- fence erected by it and every fence converted by it into a barrier-fence ; and 



(I) every barrier-fence erected or to be erected at the expense of the Crown within the 



boundaries of the Rabbit District : 

 Provided always that 



(c) where any such fence as last aforesaid is along the common boundary of two Rabbit 

 Districts the Minister shall determine which of the two Rabbit Boards shall be charged 

 with the aforesaid duty, and the Rabbit Board charged therewith shall be entitled to 

 receive from the other of such Boards half of the annual cost incurred in discharging 

 such duty ; and 



(rf) the Railway Commissioners shall be charged with the duty of keeping in good repair 

 and efficiently maintaining any barrier-fence erected or to be erected at the expense 

 of the Crown along the boundaries of any lands vested in them, but the costs incurred 

 in the repair and maintenance of such fences shall be a charge upon the Consolidated 

 Revenue Fund. 



Mr. BACON (Brewarrina) moved that the clause as printed be adopted. 



Mr. HEBDEN seconded it. 



Mr. ATKINSON proposed that after the word "shall" in line 16 the words " if the two Rabbit 

 Boards fail to agree " should be inserted. 



Mr. DAVIES (Gunnedah) seconded it. 



Mr. BACON (Brewarrina) accepted the amendment. 



The CHAIRMAN thought that it was superfluous. If they agreed they would pay, and if they did 

 not agree they would not pay. 



Mr. ATKINSON said there were many cases were the Boards might fail to agree. 



Mr. T. BROWN, M.P. (Budgerabong), pointed out that clause 28 determined that point 



Mr. ATKINSON then said that he did not give the Minister the right, it only gave him the power lo 

 be arbitrator. He wanted to give the Boards the opportunity of determining on their own account. It 

 said " the Minister shall." He wanted the Boards to do it. 



Mr. FLANAGAN (Gunbar) said he would support the motion. 



The question was put and carried. 



Clause 24 as amended was put and carried. 



Clause 25. 



Power of Boards to borrow money. 



25. (i) Any Rabbit Board may borrow on the security of a mortgage, or otherwise on 

 the credit of any land, personal estate, or annual revenues, actual or prospective, belonging to 

 the Board for carrying out the provisions of this Act in its district any moneys not exceeding in 

 the whole the estimated revenues of the Board for four years : 



Provided that no money shall be so borrowed except with the sanction of the Governor 

 in writing under his hand : 



Provided further that before any money is so borrowed the Board shall, by advertisement 

 in some newspaper circulating within the rabbit district, give fourteen days' notice of its inten- 

 tion to borrow, and shall at the same time state in such notice the amount of the proposed loan, 

 the rate of interest to bo paid in respect thereof, the time, place, and manner of payment of 

 the principal and interest due thereon, and the nature and estimated amount of the proposed 

 security for such loan ; and until the said loan is repaid the Board shall levy and collect a rabbit 

 rate of not less than two-thirds of the maximum rate authorised by this Act. 



No loan shall be for a longer period than eight years. 



The Colonial Treasurer may, on behalf of the Crown, guarantee the repayment within 

 the period for which it was granted, of a loan to a Rabbit Board, and in case of d'efault by the 

 Board in repayment within the period aforesaid, the loan or the unpaid balance thereof may, in 

 the discretion of the Colonial Treasurer, be paid out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund or the 

 General Loan Account, but may be recovered from the Board as hereinafter mentioned, and 

 shall thereupon be returned to the Consolidated Revenue Fund or General Loan Account, as 

 the case may require. (n) 



