12 



The Hon. RUPERT CARINOTON (Jerilderie) said he should like to sec clause 4 also postponed 

 uatil the constitution of the Rabbit Board had been finally settled. It struck him that it was simply 

 putting the cart before the horse to declare what the districts were to be, without declaring how they were 

 to be administered. If this clause were carried, it would simply stultify all the other amendments which 

 might be moved about the constitution of the Board. He would ask this in fair play, so that the amend- 

 ments which they had got in clause 5 might be considered on their merits and not be hampered, perhaps 

 unintentionally, by tliis clause having been put first. 



Mr. BAOON (Brewarriua) seconded the motion. 



The Hon. R. C'arington's motion was then put to the meeting, and carried unanimously. 



Mr. ALISON (Cauonbar) then withdrew au amendment standing iii his name, 011 sub-sectiou (4) of 

 clause 4, as under, 



" But uo sheep district shall be amalgamated with any other district without the consent of two- 

 thirds of the voters." 



Clause 5. 



Ilablit Boards. 



5. For every Rabbit District there shall be a Babbit Board, which shall consist of five 

 members, who, subject to the provisions hereinafter contained, shall hold their respective scats 

 for a period of three years froio the date of their appointment or election thereto : 



Provided always that 

 (a) the Governor may remove any member of the Board who appears to the Governor to 



have failed to do or be capable of doing his duty ; 

 (1i) The Governor may fill any casual vacancy upon the Board, and may in such case 



appoint a member for a less period than three years. 



A Rabbit Boaid shall, within such time as may be prescribed, appoint one of its members 

 to be Chairman thereof, and if such Board shall fail to appoint a Chairman, the Governor may 

 appoint one of such members to be the Chairman of such Board ; and the Chairman and other 

 members shall be entitled to receive, out of the revenues of the Board, such fees as may be 

 prescribed. 



Mr. T. BROWN, M.L.A. (Budgerabong), begged to move that " one year " be substituted in place 

 of " three years " in line 3 of clause 5. He said that a number of these notices of motion stood in his 

 name, but they were proposed by the Condobolin Stock Board, who unfortunately were not yet repre- 

 sented on the Conference ; so he had placed them on the business paper for consideration on their behalf. 

 He thought the amendment spoke for itself. 



Mr. ALISON (Canonbar) said he would support Mr. Brown's motion. He thought that, as they 

 were making a new departure in having a new Eabbtt Board, it would be beneficial to elect them for only 

 one year. It might be a time of excitement when the Board was elected, and there might possibly be 

 men returned whose actions might not be approved of afterwards, and he thought it was rather dangerous, 

 straight off, to give them three years. He thought it was better to keep them under control, as they 

 would get enormous power. They would have the control of nearly a million of money, and under these 

 circumstances they should be kept under control, and one year would be ample. 



Mr. WII/KKS (Broken Hill) supported Mr. Alison for another reason. It would be a very hard 

 matter if the Board that was in this year could go and nullify, as it were, the rights of what would be a 

 future years' Board. The present Stock and Pastures Boards were elected annually, and he thought that 

 they should stick to the principle in the election of the Rabbit Board. He therefore supported the 

 motion. 



Mr. GIBSON (Hay) moved as an amendent that "one" of the members appointed by the land- 

 owners should retire annually. He did not wish to see men put on the Rabbit Board who would make 

 the Rabbit Act a dead letter. He thought that by one man retiring annually, the Board would get to 

 know the opinion of the public, because on that member putting up for re-election, the landowners would 

 have an opportunity of snowing their opinions, and defeating him if they wished. He thought it would 

 be better if a good man could be elected for three years, but that there should be an annual election for 

 one man. He therefore moved that one of the members appointed by the landowners should retire 

 annually. 



Mr. OATLEI wished to know, before the motion was put, whether it would not be necessary to take a 

 vote as to who should retire. He thought that the person who obtained the least number of votes at the 

 first election should retire, as otherwise they would provide for three members, but not say which of them 

 should retire. 



Mr. ALISON (Cauonbar) thought that if one man retired each year, it would still leave a majority 

 retained for two years, and the stockowners would have no means of removing objectionable members 

 from the Board for at least two years. 



Mr. Flanagan (Gunbar) thought the farmer had been too apathetic in the past, but that this 

 Board would rouse him up to his duty, and he would know what to do. 



The CHAIRMAN then put Mr. Gibson's amendment, that the following be added to clause 5 : "But 

 one of the members appointed by the landowners shall retire annually." 



The amendment was lost. 



The original proposition made by Mr. Brown, that " three " be struck out and " one " put in, was 

 put to the meeting and declared carried. 



The CHAIRMAN said that the next amendment he had printed was one by the Honorable Rupert 

 Carington, on clause 5, "That the Pastures and Stock Protection Boards be the Rabbit Boards for the 

 district, i.e., that the working of the Act bo placed in the hands of the Pastures and Stock Protection 

 Board." He took it that that would be a substituted clause in place of the whole of clause 5. 



The Honorable RUPERT CAKINGTON (Jerilderie) said that he ventured to bring this forward for 

 two reasons firstly, on the grounds that it would save expense ; and secondly, on the grounds of increased 

 efficiency. They had in the Pastures and Stock Protection Board the machinery ready to their hand, and 

 therefore, so far as administration, 0? rather, so far as legislation, if he might use the term, was concerned, 

 it would not cost anything, because the rabbit meeting might be held at exactly the same time as the 



Pastures 



