Rabbits

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This transcription is complete

Mr W. J. Begley,

continued.

811. Who were the settlers you got your information from?—Mr Ryan, J.P., at Eucla; Mr F. W. Beere, of Eucla; Mr A. C. Beedon, 40 miles from Eucla; Mr Kames Cook, of Mopin Station, Eucla; Mr Kennedy, of Montabella Station, Eucla; Mr Scott, White Wells, Eucla; Mr W. Ponton, Mandura Station; and Mr T. D. Calvert, Clifton Downs Station, Eucla.

812. From the information you got from the various settlers, you made you report to your Sub-Inspector?—Yes ; I simply reported the information I received from them.

813. And also the information you gathered from your own personal observations?—Yes ; that was the information I reported.

814. And those settlers you name, are they pastoralists or agriculturalists?—The majority of them are pastoralists; the rest gain a living by kangaroo hunting and sandalwood cutting, and at Kennedy's they have a very large sheep station.

815-16. And you also derived some information from Mr Ponton?—Yes. Mr Ponton, a short time ago, was interviewed here, and this is an extract from the newspaper report of the interview:— Do you place any credence in the report that was sent to he city by a policeman at Eucla recently that he has been informed that four million rabbits had crossed the border?—None whatever. That same policeman came to me for information, and I told him what I am telling you now. I can't say where he got his information from, but I know it is not true. How would it be possible to tell that four million rabbits had crossed the border? Would they swarm past him while he counted them? I have travelled through the district that he speaks of, and I have not seen more than 20 rabbits altogether in a whole day. I was there in October last.

817. I do not want to put your word against that of Mr Ponton, or Mr Ponton's word against yours, but I only ask you how many rabbits you saw on any particular day on which you were travelling between Madura Station and Eucla?—That would depend on where I was. There were some parts of my day's travels I would not see as many rabbits as on other days.

818. What was the average in how many days travelling?— I could bring anyone——

819. But I want to know how many days you were travelling?—Six days.

820. What would the average, roughly speaking, per day?—From 25 to 30 per day I should think.

821. By Mr Richardson : What would be the maximum when they were thickest in any one day?—I have seen as many, though not all at one time.

822. By the Chairman: But during a day's ride?—I have seen as many as 70 or 80.

823. By Mr Wittenoom: the grass was very good there?—Yes, but I wish to point out that by riding along the road which leads between Eucla and Madura station you would not see the rabbits you would by following the scrub some distance off the road.

824. Is there grass through the scrub?—There is very good kangaroo grass in the scrub.

825. And the rabbits you saw have not run off with the grass?—No, it was up to my stirrups.

826. There was not sufficient rabbits to have eaten it all down?—No.

827. By the Chairman: The read runs mostly through clear ground?—It is mostly ti-tree and mallee bush.

828. Not the worst class of country for harbouring rabbits?—There is any amount of harbour left for the rabbits.

829. Would you expect to find more rabbits there, or would you expect to find more in the scrub?—In the scrub certainly.

830. By Mr Richardson: And you of your own knowledge are perfectly satisfied that there is a very good number of rabbits in Western Australia, or those parts of Western Australia you have travelled in?—Yes, I am, and I can take anyone and show them rabbits, and the places where I have seen them.

831. Do the settlers consider these rabbits are migrating from South Australia Westward very rapidly at the present time?—Well, during the last three years they reckon there has been a very large increase.

832. By the Chairman: Have these settlers found any effect on the feed; have they good paddocks?—there are some fenced in, but very few.

833. Have they found any appreciable difference yet down there on account of the rabbits?—The first place from Eucla is Madura Station, fifty or sixty miles down. Kennedy would not give very definite information, so I do not care to give information as to this point. He said there were rabbits there, but he did not care about giving information about them.

834. If you cannot get information in one direction you can in another. I suppose you derived some information as to whether the rabbits were becoming dangerously thick in the place?—Yes.

835. MR WITTENOOM: The witness has already said the rabbits have not done much harm to the grass.

836. By the Chairman: As you said before, you could see no difference on the Kennedy paddocks?—No.

837. By Mr Richardson: Did you hear from any others but Kennedy that the rabbits were doing much damage to the runs there?—No.

838. Still you reckon the settlers were scared of the approach?—They said if something was not done the country would be useless.