Used 90-Mile Beach As Long Paddock

Northern Advocate, 20 November 1943, Page 5

Used 90-Mile Beach As Long Paddock

An echo of last summer’s serious outbreak of fire along the Ninety Mile Beach was heard in the Kaitaia Police Court on Thursday, when Martin Pivac, Kaitaia, and Harold Leslie West, of Awanui, were charged before the magistrate (Mr. Raymond Ferner) with allowing stock to wander on Crown lands. Each pleaded guilty. Sergeant Simister said that the Crown owned a long strip of land adjacent to the Ninety Mile Beach and, as the result of continued trespass of stock there, a round-up was held on July 1.2 when 181 head of stock were collected. Defendant Pivac had 59 cattle in that round-up. The owners paid poundage and droving costs and were warned that prosecution would follow any further straying. On July 23 a second round-up was held and in that Pivac had 40 cattle. Mr. Peace (for defendant) said that this was not a case where stock was being deliberately allowed to stray for cheap feed. In the fires of last summer that swept through Crown and private lands, fences round the area leased by Pivac for a winter run, had been burned. After the first round-up and the warning, defendant had sent his son out to the section to bach there and keep the stock from straying. The son’s horse had been injured and it was the morning after the son had left to bring the horse into Kaitaia that the second round-up was held, and the stock found to have strayed in his absence. Defendant wrote to the Commissioner explaining the circumstances, and all stock had been removed from his section, and would not be returned until the fences were repaired. He had already paid £4 in poundage and trespass fees. The Magistrate said that Crown lands were entitled to have the law enforced against trespass, but he was prepared to agree with Mr. Peace that the circumstances were unfortunate.

“But it will be unfortunate if it happens again,” he said. Pivac was convicted and fined £2 and costs. The defendant West, during the first round-up on July 12, was himself driving five of his heifers off the Crown lands ,and assisted to round up other straying stock. He turned his five on to an adjacent paddock expecting them to join other stock he had nearby. In the second round-up, his five heifers were again collected, and he paid droving and poundage fees for them. An investigation showed that part of his fence had been broken by an Army tank, and, unknown to him, his stock wandered again on to the Crown lands. He was convicted and fined £2 and costs, the magistrate adding: “And if this is not the end, multiply that by 20 and you will be about right.”