HORSES ILL TREATED

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3290, 9 March 1926, Page 10

HORSES ILL TREATED

THREE MEN FINED. Pleas of not guilty were entered in the Palmerston North Magistrate’s Court yesterday by Wiluam Candy, who was charged with permuung tour horses to be ill-treat-ed, and Hector Hunt and Andrew McEwan, each of whom was charged with ill-treating the animals. Mr L. M. Abrahaif appeared for all three defendants. Senior-Sergeant O’Grady, for the police, said Candy was a contractor and Hunt and McEwan were employed by him. Candy told a constable that he saw the horses every two days and was aware of their condition. Constable Blaxland said he saw Hunt and McEwan hitting the horses. He approached them, and found lying near the teams a piece of tree I branch (produced) and a piece of .wire, also produced. It had been I admitted the wire had been used as i a -whip. There were bloodstains on the wood. Witness then described the condition of the animals, which, ho said, had open sores. The majority of the animals were aged and broken clown they looked "only fit for boiling.” It was a very cruel thing to work them in such a condition. To Mr Abraham, witness admitted he could not sec from where ho was with what Hunt and McEwan were hitting the horses, j Constable Owen, of Foxton, cori roborated the evidence of the previous witness, and added that he had never seen teams of horses in a worse condition. It was suggested by counsel that the animals were suffering from heat boils which witness admitted could be treated while the animals were working. There were no signs of any treatment in this case, however. Heat boils, if neglected, would develop into raw sores. Alexander Milne, farmer, said he passed one of the ieams, which drew aside to let his vehicle proceed. The horses were too weak to pull their load back on to the road* again. Their condition was such that they should not have been worked at all. He saw no sores on the animals. Ernest F. Pargetta, another farmer, said he had passed the teams very often over a period of a year and had noticed that their condition was poor. Mr Abraham said it was admitted that the horses had sores, but these were heat boils, which it was best to treat when the animals were being worked. Evidence would be called to show that the horses were being given three feeds a day and were having their sores treated. Andrew McEwan said he had been employed by Candy for three weeks before the constables came. He had been giving the horses three feeds a day and was washing and anointing their boils every evening. He had seen that treatment successfully carried on before while working horses. Heat boils had to be brought to a head. He denied using the wire as a whip. His experience at driving horses extended over a period of 20 years. William Candy said it was desirable to cure horses while working, for if they were 'turned out the sores broke out again. The Magistrate, Mr J. L. Stout. S.M., said there was no doubt at all that the horses were in an unfit state to work. All three would bo i convicted. Candy would be fined £lO i and costs 11s, and Hunt and Mc- : Ewan £5 each and costs. Witnesses’ expenses were allowed and defendants were given a fortnight In which to pay their fines. A Case Remanded. Charged that on or about October 9, at Shannon, he stole certain suras of money, totalling £49 11s 7d, the property of the Miranui Co-opera-i tive Society, James Henry Alfred j Peddor, aged 47, a clerk, was remanded till next Friday. For cycling at night without alight, Philip Hunter was fined 10s and costs 2s.