PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVIII, Issue 11367, 7 September 1897, Page 3

PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

——♦ A meeting of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was held last evening at the City Council Chambers; present—The Mayor (in the chair), Mira M’Lennan, and Messrs Prudhoe, Carter, Murphy and Crook. Apologies for absent® were received from Miss Ferrar and Messrs Parker and J. C. Brown. Mr Murphy stated that the method used in trucking sheep to Addington should be altered, as the sheep were in some eases handled very roughly. The Inspector reported that he had often witnessed the unloading of the trucks, and he thought that the method now used could be much improved. Sheep were driven hurriedly to the trucks, and became heated in consequence, and often lay down in the trucks. When in this position they were not easily able to regain their feer, and were often trodden on by the sheep that were standing, and in some instances the trampled sheep succumbed to their injuries. He also noticed that dogs were used too freely in connection with the work of getting the sheep out of the trucks, and he had noticed that the trucks were emptied far more easily without the use of the dogs. He thought that the railway authorities ought to be approached by owners and auctioneers and asked to run stock trains which would ai’riva at about 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, so that the sheep would not have to stay in the trucks for hours at a time, as they now had to do at some of the sidings. It was decided, that steps should be taken to see what could be done ,in regard to, the matter. The Inspector’s report stated that during the past month the saleyards at Lyttelton, Eangiora, Amberley, Waikari and Prebble-, ton had been visited. ■ The horses generally appeared to be in better condition than usual. Cautions were issued during the mouth in regard to —horses: 3, cattle I,' sheep 2. The subscriptions amounted to £o 13s 6d. The report was adopted.