Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-02-11
THE RABBIT PLAGrEIN AUSTRALIA.

The ancient saying that the race is
not always To the swift nor the battle To-
the strong ia receiving new il'ustra-
ton in Australia. Or all animals the
tImld rabbit would seem 10 DO the last
that would ever wage war of exter
imitation against man: and that is pre-
cisely what II - doing IN Australia.
One colony has already lost 2U0OJU
sheep by them; the plague Is spreading
northWafd at the rate of 100 miles Or
more n year; and the Federal Australian
| says that the rabbit invasion threatens
the grea. industry of the colony with
| ruin.
The impossibility of feeding large
nocks Of sheep and inuumerable
rabbits at the same time on the same
breadth Of pasturage, Is just a. great IA
would be that of growing wheat and
hay on the same soil. There Is only one
alternative in this S2~t: Either the
flock osners must expel the rabbits or
the rabbits will expel the flock owners"
he conviction Is that the evil hts at
tanned Il magnitude which puts II be
yond the hope OF control by local efforts.
or even by any ons colony. he move
ment for the extermIudtion OF Tie rdb-
bits must he simultaneous aud universal
to loo of any avail.
The proposition now is for general
act OF the colonial assemblies levking q
tax on all lands, whether stocked OF no.,
TO meet the cost of u general war upon
all invaders by the colonial govern
lneuts. IL Is proposed that each coloHt
stall appoint staff OF rabbit Inspect
ora 30 enforce represslve legislation,
each colony undertaking to keep its
own borders tree from the plague.
The flock owners over the entire
area of the continent says tie iHs-
fratiaB, must make common cause III
the endeavor To exterminate the plague,
and To that END must aid their respect
i've governments by every means IN their
power. war to the knife must be de-
clated by every individual Interested III
station property in Australia against
pestilence which positively threatens
nothing less than the gradual destruc
ton of the wealthiest interest that has
yet grown into flourishing existence Ill
this part OF the world"
Having declared general war upon
tho rabbits, the great question would
appear To he the devIsing of modes OF
attack that will be- ut once efficient and
| economical. One flock owner Is NEIL
tioued as having trapped 5000 Of the lit
| tie pests IN a space of four months;
others have tried general poisoning.
and yet no perceptibie check has been
put upon the multiplication of the pro-
lltic and ali-devouring vermin. Shoot
lug the rabbits ~ out of the question.
there are 10 many OF them, their wari-
ness and burrowing habits adding to
the hOpelessness of meeting the Invasion
by individual destruction. They must
be killed by the million, and at cost
that will not exceed tue value of the
land reclaimed from their ravages.
Probably the most welcome guest in
Australia today. says the Scientific Inner
lean, would be, the inventor Of y solu ion
for this pressing and all important
problem. The money values at stake
are enormous; and tho successful in
venior of u cure for the evil, which so
graveiy threatens the prosperity and fu-
ture progress of the Australian colonies,
would doubtless make as good thing
for himself AZ his invention would be-
tor the sheep raisers.