PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 470, 31 March 1909, Page 8

PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

The fortnightly meeting of the committee of tho Society for tho Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was held yesterday, there being present:—Mr. AY. Watson (in tho chair), Mrs. Christie, Miss Ludwig, and Messrs. Richardson, Ilott, Revs. W. J. Williams and J. Reed Glasson. The following donations to the funds of the society were acknowledged:—Mr. A. D. Crawford and British Umpire Trading Company, .£1 Is. each; Messrs. Magnus Sanderson and Co., M'Leod, Weir,' and Hopkirk, and Dr. Newman, 10s. each; Mrs. Tiller and "Maggie," Bs. 6d. each; Mesdamcs J. Godber, T. Young, Napier M'Lean, and Messrs. J. P. Clark, G. Mantcll, Griffiths and Co., Townsend and Paul, and Westport Coal Co., ss. each; Mesdames Fell and Macdougall, Messrs. T. Page, E. Bucholz, and "A Friend," 2s. 6d. each; total amount rereceived, M 13s. The society's inspector (Mr. Seed) reported that he had investigated several cases of cruelty and neglect during the fortnight. One animal, which had been found to be suffering from a corn, was taken off tho road for rest; a warning was issiud against the practice of leaving old nails lying about tho road; a caso of lameness from brushing" had been cured by the simple expedient of affixing a "brush-ing-boot," and the suffering horse relieved of much unnecessary pain; a serious caso of overloading, where a horse had been found to be harnessed to a load of 2 tons llcwt., resulted in the corporation inspector and the Harbour Board authorities being asked to co-operate in tho direction of taking action to stop cases of overloading, which, the report alleged, was very prevalent in the city; a complaint concerning the starving of two horses was found on investigation to bo well grounded, both animals being old, mere skeletons, and justifying a personal inspection by a Justice of the Pcaco with a view to their destruction; inquiries as to tho circumstances connected with two oases of cruelty to horses, one of which was badly cut about tho knees, and the other in a starving condition, were pending; steps were to bo taken to have an old horse, which had' been underfed and "unmercifully flogged," destroyed; several other cases of thoughtless treatment of horses were also mentioned, action in eacli caso having been taken. Tho report was adopted.