Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1906-09-20
AUSTRALIANS MAKE
Profit FROM RABBITS
Exports Of Carcasses and Skins
Now Amount to More Than
$4,000 900 Yearly.
RABBIT TRAPPERS' UNION
Many Families Who Have ENGAGED in
the Shipping Buainess Have Made
a5 Much as $50 to S1oo Per
Week from Venture.

From the Chicago Chronicle
sydney. Australia, AUL. .sy the irony.
81 circumstances, just at the time wien
Dr Danysz, the famous French bactorio-
l"sist, has arrived in sydney with his
tubes OF "pasteurcllas" mysterious mi
cr"bcs which he thinks Will ohlitcrato
the rabbit pest in Australia by Tho spread
oil a contagious discasc-the rabbit, is he
coming Il valuable commercial asset. one
exporter estimates that already 1t brings
SiO.DtV.vJO II year to the commonwealth,
bur G. G. Lance. who was NOT long ago
The commercial agent In London for Sew
',outh wales. prefers to put the figures
al s., 800. 600.
The industry. 1t is to hc remembered.
is stun in swaddling clothca. but Judging
from the DEVELOPMENT Of the last few
years. the Si,5UO.OD of today should quickly
grow into many millions. There are i'm
Wcrsc possibilities ahead. But. of course.
there Is DIR. Danysz to be rcckonod with.
1t Is exceedingly doubtful. however,
whether he will be permitted to proceed
10 any length with his experiments. Apart
from the cXisAlg fear that he Will set
loose "a disease which may be DANGEROUS
TO human beings and to other forms of
animal life there Is Il strong feeling that.
with the great and increasing demands
Tor the carcasses and skins of rabbits. the
rodent will. in the ordinary course OF
events. cease to be n pest. And, more
over, 1t Is coming to he recognized that
not only will the industry bring millions
Of dollars to Australia annually but that
1t will afford profitable employment TO
a vast army Of men. For this reason the
tabor parties. federal and state, are bit
terly opposed to DIR. Danysz and his
Gchemc.
Rabbit Trappers Form Union.
Already the pastoralists are complain
ing of n scarcity of rural labor. They are
no onger able to obtain the services of
n~ble-bcdied men for So 10 II week and their
"kecp." For rabbit trapping has OF il
sudden become "A remuncrativc profession
and 1t Is characteristic of conditions here
that within the last few days ii rabbit
trappers' union has been formed. The
freezing and export firms In Sydney and
Melbourne are sending hundreds of men
away into the country every week to dis
ericts where tho local supply of trappcrs
Is insufficient. and thus there is IA steady
absorption of the metropolitan %unemploy-
BID. Likely applicants are provided with
traps on time payment and the newcomers
are placed Mt first beside experienced men.
who teach them the routine. AT Narrabri.
~.iunncdah, Tumut. Dubbo and some other
places good trappcrs are earning. accord
Ing to one authority. $25 IL week. Another
authority puts 1t at 81. 81 or $3.50 Il day.
Men with young families to assist them
no even better. In this connection the re-
port OF a country inspector of state schools
to the public instruction department OF
New South Wales is significant. AT the
present juncture," he says, ut is a diff
sicult task to get children to do any home
lessons. The high price of rabbit skins
induces parents to employ their children
Tor half the night In trapping rabbits.
Many families In this district are earning
as much as $50 to 500 per week at the
business. In many of the towns there is
q wood famine 1t being impossible to
md carriers willing to waste time draw
ing wood when they can earn SO much at
trapping rabbits. From this cause also
the attendance at country schools during
che quarter now ending will be greatly re-
duCcd.'
Unemployed Problem Solved.
A piece OF further evidence is supplied
by MIR. Schley. the director OF labor in
New South Wales. In his last report to
;he minister he quotes such paragraphs as
the following from the reports of his vari-
GUS country correspondents:
>'"rhe off-scason. but no such thing as un-
Employed. Usual resorts of loafers desert
ID. All gone rabbiting. the money earned
at which Is likely to increase the rates of
wages demanded by roustabouts, etc.
Spending capacity of the working classes
greater than for years past"
every good. No unemployed. All UNI
Skillcd labor absorbed in rahbit-trapping."
"The rabbit industry has alb ioibcd all the
genuine unemployed"
"Great demand for farm hands. Most To-
cal iaborers are now rabbiting and all
state that their earnings are good"
ANY men previously unemployed are
oow rabbit-trapping and earning good
money
mo local unemployed and very few trav-
e.ers (swagmcn)."
Labor very scarce. Demand much in
excess of supply owing to the large num-
DER of men and boys employed rabb.t-
ing"
What a contrast to the story OF one short
year ago. Then from every quarter and
from the same correspondents came ac-
counts of unemployed and distress. The
Australian has at last been persuaded that
even the rabbit has its uses.
Carcasses Are Valuable.
So mich for the workers point of view.
The individuals and companies who are
Rnding the capital have equal reason to be
satisfied. The state government of New
South Wales and Victoria have provided
cold storage accommodation In Sydney and
Melbourne respectively. but of late this
has been found ridiculously inadequate
and private enterprise Is supplcmcnting 1t.
Among the firms that supply cold storage
In Sydney arc tho Fresh Food and Ice
company. turning out 1,SO0 crates IA day
~ metropolitan ice CuNktpu.y III Vie IL
land Freezing company-which has branch
works in several country Understanding
out / 100 crates a day. In addition the gov
IN cold storage department turns
out 500 crates a day and there are a large
number Of smaller storers and ~freezers
with daily outputs varying from lG0 crates
70 200.
There are twcnty-four rabbits in n crate
and recent prices paid in London range
from $1.S5h per crate. according to the
classes In which the carcasses are graded
by government graders. Considerable con-
signments are sent regularly from Br.s-
bare n Adelaide and these. like those
from Sydney and Melbourne. go to the
United Kingdom. South Africa. Hong
KOfg. Japan and the Philippines. 1t is
no led that the exported carcasses are in
spected and graded Under official SUPER
vision.
Great Profits in Skins.
Ert the profit accruing from fozen car
casses is only u part Of the whole profit.
Therc - coed money in canned rabbit and
this is q branch Of the trade the prospects
Of which should be improved by the Chi
caco disclosures. The greatest return OF