Drinking Places For Driven Stock Urged

Northern Advocate, 15 March 1947, Page 2

Drinking Places For Driven Stock Urged

THE need of drinking places for travelling stock on Northland roads has been recognised by the Whangarei SPCA for a number of years and various projects to meet the need have been put forward by different organisations, but nothing has so far been done. The lack of water in the dry months of the year is so acute that dealers l’efuse to buy stock in certain districts.

Last year the Whangarei SPCA called a meeting of those interested and the following petition, which was signed by all stock firms and dealers I was sent to the District Engineer, Public Works Department, Whangarei: “The progress and stability of the district are bound up with the welfare of its travelling stock as part of | its most important primary industry,” I the petition stated. ! “In the summer months thousands j of cattle are daily travelling on the I roads, and they are sometimes days j without water although there are inI accessible streams by the wayside, j The access is frequently impossible, because of steep banks or swampy I ground. “Shortage of water causes stock to lose condition very rapidly—more so . than shortage of feed. “While we recognise that the provision of drinking places is the con-' corn of the stock owners, and that the I Works Department controls only a ! small portion of the roads, we feel ! that if the Works Department would give a lead it would be an inducement j to local bodies to deal with the need j on other roads. I AN OPPORTUNE TIME j “We are informed that the Works' Department is contemplating a com- | prehcnsive bridge building scheme for Northland, and respectfully suggest that the provision of drinking places for stock be considered at the same time. i “Drinking places are required at j roughly- 10-mile intervals, and, while a j bridge is being built provision could readily be made to meet the need. j

■ “We suggest that where possible, a | concrete ramp into and through the 1 stream might meet the case; in other I instances, it might be necessary to construct concrete troughs, supplied J by a small electric pump, which could I be maintained by a resident in the ! vicinity.” THE PROPOSED PLAN I The Whangarei office of the Public I Works Department, in conjunction (with the inspector of the SPCA pre- | pared a plan of drinking places on | the main highways controlled by the I Whangarei office, which provided for I six additional drinking places on the ,road between Whangarei and Moerevva, \ ! six between Whangarei and Dargaville and four between Whangarei and j Waipu, the scheme to cost approximnt-j I ly £SOO. I i MINISTER TO BE APPROACHED | I As the request has been refused by j the Highways Board on the ground that it does not accept responsibility I for the provision of drinking places for j driven cattle, the SPCA is taking j steps to have the matter brought to the notice of the Minister of Public Works, it being considered that the establishment of water troughs or access to | streams could be done very appropri- j ately when the bridge building ! scheme is under way. j