PORTIONS OF THE "SHEEP ACT, 1878," WHICE COME INTO OPERATION ON 1st JANUARY.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IX, Issue 493, 19 December 1878, Page 3

PORTIONS OF THE "SHEEP ACT, 1878," WHICE COME INTO OPERATION ON Ist JANUARY.

A supplementary Gazette of the 13th instant publishes sections 15, 21, 33, 40, 57, and 68, of the Sheep Act, 1877, as coming into operation on Ist January, 1879. The following are the sections referred to. As the act affects all owners of sheep, irrespective of the number owned, we shall next week allude to the provisions of the Act in the form of an article : 15. It shall be lawful for any Inspector, when it shall appear to him to be necessary for the purpose of enabling him to decide satisfactorily upon the condition of anj sheep, to call up >n the owner of such sheep to make a declaration in the form or to the effect specified in Schedule B to this Act ; and if any sueh owner shall refuse or neglect to make such declaration when so called upon, he shall be liable to a penalty of net less than ten pounds andnot exceedingfiflypounds; and if any person, shall make"any snch declartion, knowing the same to be false, he shall be liable to a penalty of one hundred pounds, or to be imnrisoned for any term not exceeding six calender months.

21. Every owner of sheep shall, between the fist and thirtieth' day of June in every year, deliver or cause to be delivered to the Cidef Inspector a written return, in the form provided in Schedule A, of the number of sheep and lambs of each sex exceeding three months old owned by him on the thirty-first day of May preceding, specifying in such return the ear marks and brands upon such sheep. Every person refusing or neglecting to deliver or cause to be delivered such return as aforesaid shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding twenty pounds. The Chief Inspector shall, in the month of July in every year, transmit to the Colonial Treasurer a statement, compiled from the returns furnished in pursuance of this section, of the whole number of shec-p and lambs within his district.

33. If upon the complaint of an Inspector, or any sheepowner in a district, it shall be es tablished to the satisfaction-of a Eesident Magistrate having jurisdiction in the district that any sh'eepowner, whose sheep or any of are infected, has failed to clean such sheep within reasonable time, or is not taking due means to insure there being cleaned, then it shall be lawful for such Magistrate to authorize the Inspector to enter into possession of such sheep, and to take such steps as may be necessary to clean the same : And any expenses thereby incurred by the Inspoctor may be recovered from the owner of such sheep in any Court of competent jurisdiction.

For the purpose of the exercife of the powers conf?rred by this section, such Inspector may enter upon trie run and premises on which such sheep are kept, with such assistance as he may recfuire, and any owner or occupier who snail obstruct any Inspector in the discharge of such duly shall, for every day during which he shall so offend, be liable to a penalty not exceeding twenty pounds. Such Inspector shall not be liable for any loss or damage occasioned to such owner by any net of such Inspector, unless such damage shall be occasioned by his wilful neglect or default.

40. It shall not be lawful for any person to intx'oduee by land any sheep from a clean district into any district, or from an infected district into an infected district, unless he shall hold a clean certifi>-afe for such sheep, and unless he shall have given to the Inspector of the district into which they are to be introduced at least seven days' previous no tice of his intention so to introduce them, stating in such notice the number of such sheep, and the point ac which and the day on which it is intended they shall cross the boundary of the district. ft very person offending against che provisions of this section shall be liable to a penalty of not less than ten pounds nor exceeding one hundred pounds. 57. Every occupier of any run exceeding five hundred acres in ex tent and not substantially fenced, who shall muster his fleck or flocks for either of the purposes of dipping or dressing, or cutting or tailing, or earmarking, or shearing, or removal from the run shall, twenty-four hours at least before yarding the same, give personal notice to the occupiers of all the adjoining runs of his intention so to yard his sheep. Every sheepowuer who shall have reason to believe that any of his sheep have strayed on to any run in the occupation of any other sheepowner, may, by writing under his hand require such other sheepowner to give him personal notice of his intention to muster his sheep twent y -four hours at least before yarding the same ; and every person neglecting to give such personal notice to any such occupier or sheepovvner shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding twenty pounds. 68. If any Inspector shall be satisfied that any sheep in a district are infected with lice he shall take such steps iu the matter as to him shall seem best for the cleansing of such sheep, for which purpose he shall, and may, if the sheepowner neglects to cleanse his sheep, exercise the powers grauted to him by this Act, as if the said sheep were infected with scab, and shall have power to declare them infected sheep ; and all sheepowners and other persons shall, if the Inspector shall have declared the sheep. to be infected sheep, be liable, in respect of sheep infected with lice, in the same manner as if such sheep were infected with scab.