AN EXPLANATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 148, 23 June 1906, Page 9

AN EXPLANATION.

TO THE KDITOB. Sir,— Allow me to say' that your para-" graph of the 21st inst in reference to the impounding of my cattle by the Onslow borough ranger and my taking them from the pound is rather too compressed to do me justice. The facts are that on the day when my* cows were impounded I was absent at Wainui-o-mata On former occasions when stock of mine were impounded the poundkeepev gave them up to my grandson, and "the costs were subsequently paid by me. There was no reason to think that there would be any difficulty on the last occasion, but my grandson, and, later on, my neighbour Mr. Hobbs, were refused possession of the cows I got home at 10 p.m., and found that we were short of a large quantity of milk, and, hearing that the stock were impounded, went at once to see the poundkeeper, to whom I pointed out that it was highly injurious to milch cows to detain them so as to miss a milking, and 1 again offered to pay the costs. Still I was refused possession of my cows; and seeing that they wt-rt. horning each other, as cattle will when closely pent up, I determined to release them, and did so. I may mention that a horse was also locked up with the cows, ond that one of them was injured so severely that, though only a fortnight after calving, she is now utterly useless. Certainly I "rescued" the cows, but 1 submit that it would have been 'disgraceful cruelty to ullow thorn to remain in the pound until next day, further that tho poundkeeper has no valid 1 excuse for treating me on this particular occasion differently from his former practice. The Impounding Act does not compel him to detain stock after sunset, and in any case, application was made for the release of my cows long' before sunset. Yet the bench saw fit to imposo ,i drastic ppnaltv, and had not one word of censure for the conduct of the poundkeeper. — I am, etc. P. CAVANAGH, Dairyman. Kauraxra* 22nd June*