The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957)(about) |
Previous issue
Saturday 19 November 1932
Next issue
Send to:
|
2 corrections, most recently by anonymous - Show corrections
"EMU WAR" DEFENDED.
-.
Justified by Damage Done.
Canberra, Friday - The Defence (Sir George Pearce) in the Senate to-day warmly defended the employment of military forces and the use of machine- guns in the "emu war" in Western Aus-
tralia.
Senator Guthric (U. A. P., V.) asked whether it was possible to kill the emus by more humane, if less spectacular,
methods
Sir George Pearce replied that those
who were not familiar with the country in
which emus were numerous could not rea- lise the damage that the birds could do.
Because of the drought in inland areas, the birds had come down in thousands to the settled areas. Through the gaps they made in the fences rabbits followed.
Reports had made it appear that only a
few birds had been killed by the machine- guns, and he had given instructions that operations should cease, but he had learned later that the birds had been killed in hundreds, and, as the result of the renewed representations, the military party had re-
turned. It was no more cruel to kill the birds with machine-guns than with
rifles, and the wounded birds were de- spatched immediatly the firing ceased.