76 



clause would be rejected by Parliament, and they must make provision in that clause in case it was 

 rejected. They should endeavour to make the suggestions which they drew as acceptable to the country 

 and the Minister and themselves as it was possible to make them. If they objected to the power to 

 borrow three years rates, let a vote be taken as to whether it should be three, two, or one. If the 

 Conference rejected this clause he would endeavour to get what he wished put in the Bill in another 

 form, that is, with two years inserted, and if that were rejected, then with one year; and then if that 

 were rejected, and they adhered to the decision that was given a day or two previously, then he would 

 feel that they had in a measure damned the Bill, and, as Mr. Flanagan had said, they might as well go 

 horce. 



Mr. Bor.TON (\\ r agga) said he quite agreed with the last speaker. He said that if war were 

 declared against anyone else there would be a large sum of money voted for it, and he said that a large 

 sum of money should be voted to wage war against the rabbits. It appeared to him that they must resist 

 the rabbits at any expense, and should put forth every effort by main force to keep them down. He 

 hoped the operations of this Act would be so successfully carried out that they would have no great call 

 or necessity for borrowing later on, but now they required a large sum to take proper measures. He 

 had great pleasure in seconding Mr. Cameron's motion. 



Mr. FLANAGAN (Q-unbnr) said he would support Mr. Cameron's motion. They were giving certain 

 powers to deal with the rabbits, and one of the powers conferred was that of erecting barrier fences. 

 .Now they knew verv well that they could not erect barrier fences without money, and rates could only be 

 collected once a year, and one year's rates, he was certain, would not erect much barrier fence. Q'herefore, 

 iE they were going to deal with this national nuisance, they would have to confer a power on the Board 

 to borrow money. 



Mr. J. HAYES, M.L.A. (Deniliquin), said that this was a matter which he thought absolutely 

 necessary. Many of the Boards would find it necessary to put a ring fence round their district, and this 

 would cost money. The Conference would therefore act wisely in carrying this motion unanimously. 



Mr. GUMMING (Hillston) said that he thought that they were overlooking the fact that the initial 

 expense would be the heaviest of ail. They must leave something to posterity. It would be quite safe 

 to give the Boards this power. 



Mr. ALISON (Canonbar) rose to oppose the motion. He really thought that Mr. Cameron's 

 allusion to the municipalities was a most unfortunate one, because up to the present moment most of the 

 municipalities in this Colony were bankrupt. 



A Member : That is their own fault. 



Mr. ALTSON (Cauonbar) said he thought it might be the Rabbit Board's own fault, too. They 

 might borrow four years' revenue, and they might lay such a burden on the Rabbit Boards that thev 

 would have nothing to spend on rabbit destruction for a long time. He really thought they would bo 

 acting wisely if they refrained from conferring this power of borrowiag. They did not know how far it 

 might be extended if they left this part of the clause in as for one, two, or three years. It might be 

 desirable to leave it in for four years. Very few of them would vote for four years. If they passed the 

 clause allowing the Boards to borrow, as sure as fate four years would be inserted when in Parliament. 

 From the experience of the past history of the Colony of bodies being allowed t > borrow, he thoughl it' 

 they had not, got the experience now that it was exceedingly dangerous they did not profit by their 

 experience. 



Mr. Wir.KES (Broken Hill) said that they had affirmed the principle of the Boards being elected 

 from year ti year, and why should they tie down the Boards in this way? This year the Board would 

 borrow, and next year's Board would be tied down hand and foot. 



Mr. Ross (Hume) said he would oppose the reintroduction of this clause. He thought that it 

 was most dangerous. He cousiderecl the main object of the Stock Boards under the Kabbit Bill would be 

 to see that private individuals killed the rabbits themselves. He did not want the Stock Boards to kill 

 rabbits. All the Boards were to do was to see that private individuals killed the rabbits themselves. If 

 they gave the Boards power to borrow they would do it in the most extensive way. 



Mr. CAMERON (Ivanhoe) said the case had been instanced by Mr. Alison of the difficulty that had 

 arisen with regard to municipalities borrowing money. If the municipalities had already borrowed too 

 much money that was their look-out, and their own fault. And Mr. Alison's argument, as far as he 

 could see, would apply to any Board in any part of the world borrowing money. Any Board in 

 the world might get themselves into difficulties by borrowing too much money. But they did not 

 necessarily get themselves into difficulties, and notwithstanding the difficulties that the municipalities had 

 got themselves into, nobody in that Conference supposed for one moment that corporate bodies should 

 not have the power to borrow money for some time or other. He was not particular whether it was two 

 years or three years, but he did say that unless they had that power it would be impossible to carry on 

 the business of the Rabbit Board. He thought that Mr. Hayes had put it clearly before the Conference 

 that that Board could not carry on without some borrowing powers. If members had not made up their 

 minds whicn way they would vote, he implored them to vote to give the Boards some borrowing power. 



The question was put and lost by 25 votes to 13. 



Mr. ALISON (Canonbar) moved that a committee be appointed to confer with Mr. Alexander 

 Oliver, with a view to drafting the proposals of the present Conference so as to bring them into harmony 

 with one another and with other Acts. That the said committee consist of the Chairman, the Honorable 

 Eupert Carington, Mr. J. M. Atkinson, Mr. Bacon, Mr. T. Brown, M.L.A., Mr. Leslie, Mr. Cudmore, 

 Mr. Freeman, Mr. Flanagan, and the mover, two to form a quorum. 



Mr. HEBDEN (Wanaaring) proposed that the resolutions passed by the Conference be handed 

 to Mr. Alexander Oliver, and thai he be asked to draft a Bill on those resolutions, and that there be no 

 committee. 



Mr. WILKES (Broken Hill) supported Mr. Hebden's motion, and said that if the resolutions were 

 not clear enough to be understood by Mr. Oliver, then it was certain that the committee could not 



explain them. 



Mr. 



