ALLEGED CRUELTY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVII, Issue 9126, 23 October 1917, Page 5

ALLEGED CRUELTY.

ILL-TREATING A RAM,

CHARGE AGAINST A PROMINENT

FARMER

INFORMATION DISMISSED

3e I There was a very large crowd oi j s I farmers and others at the Ashburton ; ]j Magistrate's Court this afternoon, [i_ when, George William Leadley, a.wellr _ I known Ashburton farmer, and a mem- ■ n ber of the executive 1 of the North Canie terbury Farmers' Union, was charged 1, that, on September 28, he did cruelly j. ill-treat a ram. '■ js Mr Wyvern Wilson, S.M., was on c ihe Bench. Mr H. I). Acland appeared for the ii accused, and' Senior-Sergeant .Ryan .1 conducted tho, case for the police. , Constable Dunn stated that' in com■i pany with Constable Teape, he went s. down to accused's farm on tho date i m question. He saw accused, and - asked him if any of. his rams had their i purses tied. Accused said there was ■4 one in a paddock. Later in tho day - witness examined the ram, and found , the purse tied with string. The string was invisible, only the knqt showing. > J-here was- dry blood on the string; ' j Accused informed witness that he had ' operated on many rams, and tho oper- ■ at.on had generally (been auccssful. When tho operation was not success- ■ ml the rams were destroyed. Witness cruel thafc tho operation was very T,° Mr" Aeland: Leadley did: not concoal anything. Mr Acland: Do you know that there are two ways of doing the operation -—one-by clamps and the other by' string? : y Witness: Yes; but it is not often done by string. He had often cameinto contact with farming, and knew a bit about it. Constable Teape corroborated the previous witness's evidence. William Q. Barry, Government veterinary surgeon; said that he had

never seen the; operation in particular but he had heard of it. The best and most humane way of doing the operation was by clamps. It was the quickest. By this method the wounds would be healed in about 14 days, and by the other it would take three or four weeks. In the woolling season it would take much longer, aud the ram would be in' great pain. Mr Acland: Is it not common among farmers to' let the purse rot off? Witness: If it is, it is a most cruel way. Witness repeated that it was not a very common way of operating oir rams. ..'■■•'■ '" ■'• * Mr Acland: If a ram was in constant' pain for a month, would it not go back ? ■y^itrioss: Yes; it might die. ■ In opening the case tor the accused, Mr" Acland Isaid that the operation was a; common ,'.bhe, although t it might be ■painful.' He quoted law reports tp show that the operation was not cruel, 1 and he said the operation was ;at present very, prevalent in the Ashburton • County. He submitted th'St there had be£u no cruelty. ;

George Wm. Leadley said he tied up the animal in a way he had done many times. He demonstrated to the Magistrate tho way he did the operation. He ■had. ueyer used: clamps,' ana .always did thebperatio.h' with' string!'which .■caused the blood circulation to stop and the purse to rot off. He imagined that the ram would not.be in paiii for more than ,an liour. The operation on the ram had /been done three months ago. Mr Wilson: -Would it not appeal'to you that if the purse had not rotted off, the' blood would still be circulating ?

The accused: The purse was dead. Continuing, he said that the ram was in good condition. He killed the ram and showed it to many people.To Senior-Sergeant Ryan :■ -It was not usual for the string to work into, the skin. . Senior-Sergeant Ryan: Was' not there a certain amount of swelling ? Accused: Yes, there was a bit. • Mr Wilson: You have heard Mr Barry's evidence ? Accused: He doesn't know anything

about it. Mr Wilson: Did you ever employ anyone to do the work for you ? Accused: No.

Mr Wilson: I suppose it is a case of you wanting to do the work yourself ? Accmsed: No. I let a; man do the^ operations once, and six rams died. Mr Wilson: How long ago was it ? Accused: I don't know; T could not tell youi/i!. ' ;-- v 'A? ■'■'■ :■ ■ . . " ;, ■ Mr Wilson: .You; won't tell me ? Accused: I jCouldil't. Mr WilsonY ;But'stire^ yon cari re■■rnemlxjr.' Hoyr -many yeiirs' ago ? Ac-oused: About five years. Senior-Sergeant Ryan: Don't yon think that the- operation was a cruel one ?..'■''

Ac(?used: No; I don't.. Wliat .is necessary is not eriiel. ■ . „■;, Henry' Arthur Lloyd, auctioneer, aaid, that He'had often tis«d,the string. In" fact, he had .'heard-of it.'b^ing used fdr "over 20 ■ years. ; ' ic:' '■'■':i:-V\ ■'■■' ''...:■>:, ) Wm.. Begg, reterinaiy .sair^e^n, -Asl>burtori,' said he- had ;3heard it was the custom* to use string" forS the loperations in this Gbuntyj/:-The"idea v^aato Bt6p"rtHd blood circul'atkjn and destroy thepliVtie: If the^'strin'g-waß, properly;, tied, Ilie pain" Wibuld-riofc'lasj; more than 12 hoSrs: ;: Witness-'safoM that to: his' mind'the string had not been properly ttedV '- ••;■ ••■-■ - ■■■■?!•.- ■ : (Mr Wilson said that if a man adopt-j ed an operation of-^hie. own, and if it, proved more. painful than; the' dther,' and ho knowingly.;,conuriiti>odHHe- aety then he came within the section.

William Elmsley, stock agenHi, r«a id tlie fttring methocl ;V»-as. tho.: better.■: of the two :w;ays 6f : ';d<>iing-> the He saw ihp ram aftef^wafclsyanditwae in gdod c-ofiditibn/ The clamp ; method was 1 antiquated/ 'The .. msq : ,of v string; was the quickeist way. .■ V\ Wallace Smith, stock auctioneer, said he had heard of .the operation being done with string. . ;■ ■' Honry Wilki.e, butcher, isaid h« had also heard of the operation being done with string. He dicl not know whether it was humane or not. ■ Alex. Protheroe gave - ■ similar : eyidonce; -

Tbo Magistrate said it was quite evident accused . mado a very clumsy attempt to do the operation. He did not, think the ram was suffering on September 28, as it was in <£ood condition on that date. The information won Id, be dismissed.