SERIOUS CHARGES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 198, 20 July 1935, Page 7

SERIOUS CHARGES.

CASE AT GORE. Per Press Association. - GORE, July 20. A case of considerable interest was concluded before Air W. H. Freeman, S.AI., in the Gore Alagistrate’s Court last evening when John Slater Shaw and John George Shaw, extensive runliolders ot Balfour and Alandeville, were proceeded against on 65 informations of alleged sheep stealing and breaches of the Stock Act. Evidence for the informants alleged that accused, during the past three seasons, had carried out the practice of marking and tailing all lambs found on their property, irrespective of whether they belonged to their or themselves. The lambs were allegedly tailed and earmarked with tfieir brand, and the wool appropriated and sold as their own. Sheep had also allegedly been turned out in paddocks to feed with their own flock, some being branded and some not, but none of the earmarks were interfered with. The discovery was alleged to have originated in a surprise visit paid by Air Parsons, a neighbour, who had gone to the yards while shearing was in progress. He later saw John Slater Shaw, senr., who said that none of the Glenure sheep were among the sheep yarded. As the result of a subsequent muster, 121 sheep were allegedly found which belonged to neighbours, some shorn and some not. These were taken by the owners, who claimed the value of the fleeces and the lambs which must have been running with wet ewes. Claims were paid by accused. The practice of the farmers was to put aside all stragglers with lambs found in their flocks, but what accused hud allegedly done was to tail and earmark all of them. They thus lost their identity and their value. It was further alleged that in a statement to the police one of the accused had said his father had told him to shear all stragglers, as his neighbours did likewise. Evidence for accused showed that, due to an nnsually dry season, there were more stragglers last year than is customary. Accused ran 8000 sheep and stragglers were a very small percentage. Jt was not the practice of district farmers to advise their neighbours when they intended to shear. When shearing' did occur stragglers were put on one side and returned to the owners. Accused had no intention of stealing. The muster was forced on accused during the middle of shearing, before they had the opportunity to return the straglers. All shorn unbranded sheep were retained in a paddock on the homo farm to be returned at the first opportunity. The Magistrate reserved judgment on further charges of having shorn stray sheep and failing to legibly brand same on the head with a registered brand. Pleas of guilty were entered on tlie other charges and the penalty reserved.