11 



not greater, powers to the Land Board. That an office will be kept, the chairman a permanent official, with all appurten- 

 ances of inspectors, appraisers, secretary, anil others, such as boundary-riders of barrier fences ; and the chairman may not 

 be a stockowner may in fact be a man elected by the majority of the townspeople, or appointed by the Minister or 

 Governor. 



The powers of the Board in regard to administration a:-; enormous. It can borrow up to four years' revenue without 

 specifying the purpose for which the money is borrowed. It can erect fences within or without the rabbit district, and 

 compel everyone to pay, no matter how little anyone may be benefited. They can run a fence across any holding, and 

 divide it so that it will divide the owner from his best water. There is in clause 23 an endeavour at fairness, by saying 

 compensation can be paid for severance ; but the betterment from the fence is to be taken into consideration in awarding 

 compensation, and in the latter part of the clause the owner is threatened by a proviso, that the Land Board can award 

 costs to or against any party appealing before it irrespective of the verdict. And it must always be borne in mind that the 

 Eabbit Board may be composed of non-stockowners. Clause 29 gives the Board power to peremptorily order any owner to 

 suppress and destroy all rabbits on his holding. This is giving them power to order an impossibility. And in Fart III, 

 clause 45, the mere existence of rabbits on a holding is /inmii facie evidence that the owner has failed to perform the duty 

 of destruction, and the Board has then the power to enforce clause 30, Part I, and enter upon the holding and destroy all 

 rabbits, and remain there destroying while one rabbit is to be seen. 



The fencing clauses are tremendous in their power. Clause 20 gives the municipality power to fence in the municipal 

 area, and although no person except the townspeople may benefit, yet every person in the rabbit district must contribute 

 his quota. The words are clear " a barrier fence "is a rabbit proof fence which shall protect any part of the district, 

 whether within or without the district, and the decision of the Land Board that the fence protects any part of the district 

 compels every owner to subscribe his full quota to the cost. 



The Board can take possession, without compensation, of any fence now rabbit proof and convert it into a barrier 

 fence, but where a barrier fence is put up the Board can compel the owner on whose boundary it is erected to pay half 

 the cost. 



His object was to draw the attention of the Conference to this very valuable circular, and lie thought, 

 before they went into this Bill in detail, it would be well worth their while to study the circular fully. 

 He thought he might also mention having been a member of a good many Kabbit Conferences of which, 

 unfortunately, nothing ever eame. His experience was that those Conferences had always found that 

 business was much facilitated by the appointment of a sub-committee of perhaps eight or tea to meet and 

 deliberate, and draw up a report for the whole of the Conference to deal with afterwards. He thought it 

 utterly impossible for a large number of men like this Conference to deal with this question properly 

 without appointing a sub-committee, and he would ask them to put their heads together and to appoint a 

 sub-committee, or two sub-committees it' they like, who would probably not be above sitting at night to 

 go into this very important matter. 



Mr. CUMMIXO (Ilillston) said that there had been a great deal said about the Stock Boards and 

 their utility in the past. They had not been more useful because of the want of a proper constitution. 

 He thought that they could be made very representative bodies, bnt it would have to bo on the land basis. 

 He thought that they must have a Eabbit Bill to protect themselves, and that was the main thing. He, 

 however, was perfectly convinced, from his own experience, that the rabbits could be kept under by the 

 judicious use of poisoning, and if they adopted this method it would very much lessen the use of wire- 

 netting. He knew if everybody did as he did, there would be no rabbits to kill. They should use poison 

 instead of wire-netting which was very expensive; but if they must have wire-netting, they should go on 

 the lines of the Victorian Act, which had been found very beneficial to everybody, because it enabled 

 farmers to get wire-netting from the municipalities on such easy terms that even farmers with small 

 means could protect their property. 



Mr. CAMEKON (Ivanhoe) said he also would endorse what Mr. Gumming had said about the Stock 

 and Pastures Board, and he could not understand the very strong objection among a great many who 

 were there, with reference to the Stock and Pastures Board. As far as he could see, in most localities 

 the Stock and Pastures Board could be made as representative as it was possible to make any Board, and 

 the reason why the Stock and Pastures Protection Act had not perhaps been so effective was because a 

 great many small holders had not made the slightest use of it. They had not come forward as candidates 

 for election. He thought also, as they had the machinery already in existence in the Sheep and Stock 

 Boards', the administration of the Rabbit Act should, at the beginning, bo placed under them, and if at 

 some future time it was seen that these particular Boards did not work particularly well, they could bo 

 amended so as to make them acceptable to all the community. The franchise could be reduced from 500 

 to 200 sheep if it wera necessary. He must now refer to a good deal that had been said as to the 

 constitution of the Board, as considered under the Act now before them. Many seemed to think that in 

 districts where the Minister had no land, whore all the land was under occupation, and there were' no 

 abandoned lauds or resumed areas of any kind, that in such cases the Minister should not be entitled to 

 representation. But he thought the Minister was entitled to representation upon these Boards, and that 

 to a very considerable extent, because he was interested in the welfare of the land, as representing the 

 State who owned the land ; and he ought to feel a very strong interest in all the Crown lands of the 

 Colony that were held under lease. It was quite as much to the benefit of .the State generally that 

 rabbit destruction should be carried on on those lands, and he thought it was only right that the Minister 

 should have representation on the Board, as representing the Slate. He quite agreed with what Mr. 

 Fetherstonhaugh had just said, in that it looked like an impossibility for the Conference to arrive at any 

 decision unless they formed Committees, and took time quietly at night to consider the Bill with its 

 various clauses, and then present a report to the Conference, and he would be strongly in favour of that 

 method being adopted. 



The CHAIBMAN said he took it that the second reading and discussion was finished, and they would 

 now go into Committee on the Bill. The first was the Preamble. 



Mr. BACON (Brewarrina) asked the Chairman if he would now put the motion standing in his name 

 for the postponement of the Preamble. He did not wish to take up the time of the meeting by replying 

 to what had been said. 



Mr. B.VYLIS (Narranclera) seconded the motion. 



The CHAIRMAN then put the question to the meeting, and it was carried unanimously that the 

 Preamble be postponed. 



The CHAIHMAN said the next was clause 1 the Short Title. 



Mr. AMSOS (Canonbar) said he would suggest that they should deal with I'art I of the Bill, post- 

 poning the consideration of clauses 1, 2, and 3 until the vital principles of the Bill were laid down. 



Mr. (iiHSON (Hay) seconded the proposal. 



Question put to the meeting, and carried. 



The 



