URGENT NEED

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 81, 6 April 1938, Page 12

URGENT NEED

PROTECTING ANIMALS

COMPLAINT BY S.P.C.A.

BILLS NOT PASSED

' "I .felt at the time that we should - not have elected a member of Parlia; • ment as president," said the Rev. W. Tye (Wanganui), at a meeting in Wellington of the S.P.C.A. Federation today. "Now we are tied. It is quite embarrassing." r The comment arose in a general discussion regarding the unsatisfactory manner in which the Bills submitted t by the Federation to the government had been treated. The Rev. Clyde Carr, M.P. (Tim^u), president of the Federation, was not present when the comments were made, having left the conference for another meeting. Regarding legislation the annual report stated: —"It is regrettable that so little progress has been made towards passing into law Parliamentary measures which were so important to the cause of animal welfare in New Zealand. At the'close of the annual general meeting in March of last year deputations waited upon the Hon. P. Fraser, Minister in Charge of Police, with regard to the Bills for the prevention of cruelty' to animals and the protection of dogs ragainst "vivisection, and upon-the Hon. Lee Martin, Minister di Agriculture, with regard to the Aninjals Anaesthetics Bill and the Slayghter of Animals Bill. The deputation was most sympathetically received by Mr. Fraser, but so far no reply has been received by -us to our request that he should bring .these Bills before Parliament. Mr. Martin after careful inquiry has- decided, that our objects as regards slaughtering will be best obtained by regulation, and has promised to ask Parliament for the necessary powers to make such. At the suggestion of Mr. Barry, head of the Livestock.'Division, the' Minister decided to obtain the views of the Veterinary Surgeons' Conference be- : fore taking action as, to'the use of : anaesthetics.. After repeated efforts it • was arranged for a deputation to.be ' received by the Hon. W. E. Parry on ■ July! 9, with regard to the? Bills for ; the registration of dogs, and the pro- ; tection of birds. In spite of urgent ■ arguments' placed' before him by Mr. Spencer Mason, the Minister declined both to adopt^ the Bills as ■ Government measures, "and to make ; any grant to the federation from-art . ( union funds. He promised,' however, to place a sum oh the Estimates for 1 railway passes for inspectors -and these 1 have been issued.'ln view of the small ] ! progress made with this u'rgently--1 heeded legislation it remains for the federation to determine what are the next steps to be taken." .?."', ' 1

"LET US GET SOMETHING.'!

"Let us get something- on the Statute Book somewhere or other," said Mr. A. G. Frankham (Auckland).

Colonel G. Mitchell, acting as Waikato delegate, Said it was necessary that some legislation should, go through. Amendments could always be made, he said. , V xx *

As over 90 per cent, of New Zealand's income came from animals, said Mr. J. r; Salt- (Wellington), he considered that** the federation should receive support in-its endeavours,, Laqk of '•; finance was-going to foe a big trouble and might some day cause the meetings of the federation to be abandoned. ' . • .. V ■■-.:.■:''.

In his address the Rev. Clyde Carr | said:—"Unfortunately six Bills .that our |'solicitors prepared and presented to l the various Ministers by delegates from time to .time-have, as far as I know, not gone forward; /

The chief difficulty is that • every Government has not the same policy regarding these .matters.vand in addition it has to keep one eye on the electorate and the other on the objective. ■• - s ■'. ..'-"...'

"Many. reforms are desirable arid there are many vested interests involved so that there is always a danger Of setting-, one? np against '. the other." ..

Mr. Carr said that bobby calves were 'still,transported under conditions' that were nojt humane, arid'thejf frequently went long periods without grass. Endeavours'to improve the conditions had-met with considerable success, but there was still more to be done.

"The actions taken by the Ministers of - Agriculture 'arid Railways," stated the. annual report, with reference to bobby calf transport, "have brought about some small improvement in ibobby calf traffic. On the railways the use of J wagons, wherever available, is now compulsory, as is the use of tarpaulins with,. Jhese. for all distances over fifty miles. Road transport remains most unsatisfactory,, chiefly owing to the fact that many farmers are determined to get rid. of their calves at the earliest possible moment," without regard to any regulatipns; and in this they are abetted by unscrupulous lorry-drivers. Only much more adequate inspection would- prevent this,and we feel that the Government should be urged to find the inspectionnecessary since it is quite beyond the' means of our society."

CAPTIVE BIRDS

Representations made to the Minister, of Internal Affairs regarding the undesirability and cruelty of shooting caged live birds.'.said Mr. Carr, had received a sympathetic hearing, but the report from a society's inspector in the Waikato on a bird shoot in that district had been -quite favourable, consequently the Minister received a setback in his endeavours to substitute entirely clay bird methods.

"That was a deplorable incident," said Mr. Frankham, and other members were of a similar opinion.

Mr. Salt said that many people considered this sport to be a great test for eye and nerve and a big aid to character building. Ten thousand birds had recently been used iri Hastings for this character building!

Further discussion on the legislation proposals was held over till later in the meeting.