CATTLE BARRED FROM SHOW

Evening Star, Issue 19408, 17 November 1926, Page 11

CATTLE BARRED FROM SHOW

AFFECTED WITH TICK CAREFUL SCRUTINY OF All STOCK [Per United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, November 16. About eighteen head of cattle brought in from Whangarei, Dargaville, und Takanini were not permitted to enter the show grounds at the Royal Show to-day, because they wore found to be affected with tick. At a conference with the officers of the Stock Department the Royal Show authorities undertook to take every care to see that no animals affected with tick would be exhibited, and in ' accordance with the arrangement then made six inspectors commenced work at the entrance of the show grounds at 4 o’clock this morning, and subjected each beast penned to a most minute examination. If a tick or two were found on. one animal which accompanied the others in their journey to Auckland the whole group was barred. The decision of the inspectors caused keen disappointment to intending exhibitors whose cattle were not permitted to enter, but the inspectors carried out their work with trot and firmness, and their decisions were upheld by the show authorities. Arrangements were immediately made for spraying the affected animals. Cattle of nearly every breed came under the ban of the inspectors. One group of Jerseys was owned by A. E. Watkins, of Takanini. Ho afterwards stated that tick was not to be found on his farm, and considered his cows picked up the pest in the railway truck. This, he stated, was in a dirty condition when it was made available to him. The jersey Breeders’ Association intends taking the matter up with the department. Visitors from Australia stated that Australian _ cattle were barred from being, exhibited in New Zealand for fear of bringing tick and disease into the country. It appeared, they said, that from the experiences of the owners of cattle which were barred from the show to-day there was no more fear of tick and disease spreading from Australia than there was from one part of New Zealand to another. All the cattle paddocked_ in the show grounds to-nightVilJ be inspected by the department’s officers before being penned to-morrow morning, and all the cattle leaving the show on Thursday for the north, for Taranaki, and for points south of Te Awamutu will he sprayed with strong disinfectants before their departure from Auckland.