ALLEGED CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

Feilding Star, Volume I, Issue 296, 20 June 1907, Page 2

ALLEGED CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

• .'- „. . INTERESTING TO SIOCK OWNERS. At the Wauganui Police Court yesterday morning a stock owiiu; named J. J. Hills was charged with having failed to supply sufficient food to 240 mixed cattle between April 30th and •May 3rd last. ' Sergt. Bourke conducted the case for the police, and Mr Huttou appeared for the defendant, who pleaded not guilty. „_.•_._.• Sergeant Bourke stated that the cattle were purchased at Palmerston North on the 27th April, and left on the 29th (Monday), for Wanganui in charge of a drover. They reached Turakina at night, and on tho Tuesday they were put in Jackson s accommodation paddock over the river, on the side of the hill, a place devoid of food. On- the Wednesday they were taken to Jackson s sale yards, and, not being sold, were, after 4 o'clock, drived to Jackson s paddock under St. John's' Hill, which also was bare, and mostly covered with drift sand. They remained there all day Thursday, and on Inday morning were removed toNixoa s accommocation paddock of about three acres, at Taylorville also lacking feed. They remained there till the afternoon wHen they were removed to a grass pasture. Ihc ra -.-«■, the Sergeant stated, consisted ot cows, calves, aud steers, and they were in an extremely bad state. Most of the cows were suckling big calves, and appeared to be in a weakened condition. He had never seen cattle in a hungrier-looking condition tuan this mob. „ " „ u „j After evidence for the police had been given by drovers, The Defendant stated that he bought the cattle on the 25th April at Palmerston North, and arranged with auctioneers there to bring them to Wanganui. The stock were four days on the journey, and had good pickings on the road, being taken slowly to enable them to pick up, they having just come off a wet place in bad condition. He made arrangements with Mr Nixon fwjfcew feeding in Wanganui after the Wednesday sale, but iinfortimat^^e drover who was to have attended them did not get the instructions soon enough. It was a recognised fact that cattle going to a sale were always two ni g hts Z n ? * day . W llw food the nights being spent before and after theses accommodatvou feeTsjCSP^^ Plenty of wSer ■.BipKhe stock a few days ffi afßWeance of 10s per head. Corroborative evidence as to the condition of the cattle, and the fact that one or two days without food did not hurt the cows, so long, as they .had plenty of water was given by W H. Kees. stock-dealer. His Worship said that he was satisfied that there had been no, cruelty He said the inconveniences ol travelW were quite inseparable from sales T cattle; also that the > .owner seemed to have taken remarkable care and attention to see that the cattle were not neglected. The Case would therefore be dismissed.