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Typo: A Monthly Newspaper and Literary Review, Volume 3
[anomalies of colonial legislation]
The anomalies of colonial legislation would be laughable if they had not a serious side. There are a number of statutes and orders in council regarding rabbits. By a recent order, cats were included in the category of « natural enemies » of the rabbit. The Oamaru Mail has looked up the law relating to the natural enemies of the rabbit, and finds it clearly laid down, (simply interpreting the term by the new regulation, which has all the force of a statute), that « anyone killing, selling, disposing of, or capturing a cat, or allowing one to be found in his possession by a rabbit inspector or a constable (unless he can prove that it was lawfully in his possession or on his premises without his knowledge or consent) is liable to a fine of not less than five nor more than twenty pounds. And if one wants to drown a batch of kittens, or smash a full-grown howler on the roof with a boot-jack, he must hunt up a rabbit inspector and get a written permit. He may not 'dispose' of a cat or a kitten, in any way. Must not capture one, even if he wants to get it out of his meat-safe, without the inspector's permit in writing! »
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