THE RECENT IMPOUNDING.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 115, 21 May 1881, Page 3

THE RECENT IMPOUNDING.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAB. Sib, — Would you kindly insert these few lines, in your next issue, on the recent impounding case. In the first place, the greater part of the cattle pounded had only been on the Plains a few days, were newly branded, and the owner would have removed them to another part of the Plains on the first intimation of their doing any damage to anyone's property as he has land near the beach, near the bush, and close to Manaia. But Mr. Livingstone gave us no warning ; an advertisement, or letting a few people know that he meant to pound, would have done ; instead of doing so, as you would think any gentleman would, he gets as many cattle together as he can, and drives them to the pound, charges Is. 3d., each, thus getting £'5 12s. 6d., which seems to me a large sum for driving a mob of cattle five miles. The only damage the cattle had done, according to his own account, was rubbing a few posts down. Besides the mileage charge, of course there were the pound fees, which, in my Mend's case, for fifty-three head (the greater part being calves), for less than forty-eight hours poundage, amounted to £11 ss. 3d., let alone keeping the poor beggars without food, and I believe without water, as the poundkeeper's wife said at the time to the man in charge "you will be able to give them' some water now that lot have gone." I believe they had given them a little straw, but of course they only trod it under foot as the pen was near full of them, bo that the harm it, does to a lot of hand-fed and rather weak calves is almost as much as the pound fees. I would just say it -was quite by chance we heard they were in pound. Hoping you will' insert these few lines in your next issue so as not only to let people know what a nice neighbor Mr. Livingstone is, but also what an exorbitant and rotten system-of poundage it is. — I anv&c, .. . A New Chum, and Sufferer.