INSPECTOR ELLIOTT AND THE SHEEP DEPARTMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 220, 18 September 1888, Page 2

INSPECTOR ELLIOTT AND THE SHEEP DEPARTMENT.

(To the Editor.) S_b,^l. iriditigj oh buy: Arrival id Auckland on Eridayiast, that the:public who i know me, undhave^; therefore} taken an interest in this case, are labouring under many __i|appreherieions iri regard to riiy'; coridoct in dealing with Hale's sheep, add feeling at the same timo that I have been for many $&&£&& priblic servant, inasrduch aslhayfe been: in reeeijit of [pubHc money,! Hlt¥fe come to the .conclusion, that sortie expj&ri,atidn ~-■ is due, from me :to .sheep owners ,in the. ..North, whioh may answer a *'* twofold purpose.. !In the first place I wish the public to know that I have in no way.disgraced myself Or, them,; and in the next place Z-would like .thehi.tb kripw that all, through this affair myt chief object has Been to retain my self-respect and manhood,.although by doing so I knew that I was jeopardising rny'offieial position, which to trio is arid, , has jbeeri !6f a. secondary consideration. The case. Stands thus.*:—When -1 first? examined .thefßheep at■ ;Cieyedon,* which:, H has, brought .nic into so much trouble, I, ai. onde reported the matter to Inspector Drummond Joy Wire*' M^-reasbi- for doing this was that T h&d iio'legal:po,wer over the shebb rhyself,': they .being outside my. district. •_. Had'the sheep been in my own district T could,have dealt With them in my own1 -_¥ay, arid should 'have: placed beyond Ml dd _bit before I had lost sight of them the question of scab or no scab. In one ca*e, 3 years ago, I discovered soab, and when I returned to the samo plaoe two days aftor, accompanied By atibther ihspeotor from the Sduthi who had been many years amongst scabby nooks* it was only: after nearly two days'searon amongst the cheep by bobh of usj and after "the. other inspector declaring that I must have, made some mistake, as the cheep then examined by us showed no sign of soab, I sucoeeded in picking up the inseot in a cheep whioh had previously been caught byjne several times, arid -whioh. had beett most minutely ./examined by both "of us under powerful i glasses', whichgsroyec,that to find the in. i sect in scabby cheep; is nob always an easy j matter, although ia*experienced man ma..

feel positively certain that'-tie sheep under examination is scabby tb all intents arid purposes.; I,haye been tpld,;and that with a, good sho^ bt-reaibn, that if only on© or two sheej* in Hale's flock Were showing scab, others must rieceesarily;,be infected also} i. this does riot always follow,' as I haye, had abrihdant evidence of proving. Besides, this flock of Hale's is not a breeding one i that have beeri^kept on the farm year after i year-, and have in consequence always been • ruririing together, but are; most of them i- sheep that have been purchased in various s places and at different periods, and none . have, I think, been on the farm longer • than last Auckland Sheep Fair, held, > I -believe, iri February last'•;.•■ besides' • which, I hayevriever been '.allowed. • to see these sheep since I was there with • Inspector Drummohd about the middle of ! Jrily last; although I have repeatedly asked :. to do so. Whab can be Mr Bayly's reasons ! for refusing me to be there when, he ex- ' airiined these sheep, and why did he ar- [ range for an examination to be made in i Aucklarid at such a time which; made it [' quite impossible for. me to attend? . Hearing from a .private source (I have - heard nothing bfiacially) that some of *hese Clevedori sheep had ljeen submitted toPrb- • fessor Thomas for examination and report, . I made it my, businesg'on Friday last to I interview that gentleman, a»d asked bim to be good enough to allow me to see if' the ! sheep submitted to him were •' the B_h_e ihs seen by hie at Clevedoni Professor 1 ThomaSj When I told hirii my business, re- > ceived me very cbrirteously, and although I he had at the time several pupils in waib--5 irig, he shewed-riie dveiy Idndaess and • cOnsidbiSa^tiori. .Hitherto I had a kind ? of dread of enberirig this gentlel ) Irian's presence, and ;-,. was therafore • agreeably surprised to find: hiiia a- mosb r kind-hearted ; man, whose whole- Connor teriance is brimful of sympathy, and is, I - should say, in all respects a gentleman, I s wa. somewhat takeh aback,- however* When t the learned professor informed. the that he had never seen any of the sheep in driesi tion, bub that Mr Bayly .had taken 3 him a sheepskin, and, asked him to divide , itintosections, and examine it with I powerful glasses and report to Wellington, , which, I believe, has been done, The Proz- fessor informedme that he did not. find any it scab on this ekiri, which did, nob riiuch astonish me.; He also informed me that he did nob discover i any ririgworm, ; .which,, I suppose, ought to have astonished me greatly seeing that both Inspectors Drummond and Bayly declared Hale's sheep to be suffering from ringworm, and not Bcab.. Now it goes Without saying that thiti skin cannot riosßibly be from either of tho sheep which I reported as suffering from scab, and if these sheep -are ' still alive, iri order tb test the'queetien I am prepared' tb pay to Hale Bros, or any othor person or persons the sum of ten pounds sterling on corithey shall produce the sheep which were marked, by me on the.-; 18th of July, and at the same' time prove to my satisfaction thafc the game cheep have not been "dipped br dressed, or in any way tampered with sincb I saw them. S°mb of my Mends believe : I ehould hayb comb out of this affair iriuch better; had I only taken; up a b_ore. meek and mild attitude instead of, what they choose to terrri,. a fighting one. In:answer to all of such I have but one reply. , I am riow too old, and, I fear, too self-willed, and value my independence . too . much; to cringe or crawl to anyone, and I have no wish to degenerate into mere fed - tapeism,' for which I have no sympathy.~lami etc., A. E__TO_T.

Auckland, 17th Sbptember, 1888.