ANIMALS WELFARE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18586, 19 December 1923, Page 8

ANIMALS WELFARE.

• Sir; —-Mrs. Kernofc (has made public re-" ference to 1 the ; Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. I .would respectfully y direct Mrs. :^Ke^oVs attention to three points :-—(!) -That ' the , public must judge between ..her statement and . the published reports \' of the work : as to whether or net the society is in " ft state j of-coma." (2) ' That, if the activities of . the : society . are ; to "be ' extended, the pub- • lie must give -an increased : measure of j support. (3) v That any complaints or 1 charges sent by Airs. Kemot to the office will receive prompt and due attention by the inspector, vs.- V \5 T' i .>/: ■ i«v:- *." v - r P. S. S&tAixriEiJO, > Chairman of Committee.

Sir,—l should like to add my meed of. appreciation of Miss Morton's article and Mrs, v Keraot's supporting letter. .■ ■ This matter of the treatment of animals is one 'that, we-are apt to pass by 'i too lightly. • There is a 5.P.0.A., and there we let it go, not stopping to consider ..whether that S.P.C.A. is an: effective one. Seeing the things that ■■ happen around, one very ' much doubtii it- The question of J the treatment of unfortunate strays is our direct responsibility as. citizens. , I/;, urge the citizens of Auckland to call at the.' council pound, and make themselves acquainted ; with the conditions there to inspect the arrangements ■ for destroying these poor beasts; to imagine v large collie :or retriever pushed jnto the; alloted space; % and j: then '-•:. to 'i insist on the council improving the state of Oiinccs = fct once. These shocking conditions have existed for a long time, still exist. Better conditions are promised—let us 5 see that they are carried out immediately. Our zoo may be admirable— is all very ; well! The other matter is a public disgrace, to our council and to us all. /RtnitT.

Sir, —May I crave space to add my appreciation, . not only of the Uywntten and to-the-point article . -'*iss Elsie Morton, but also of the . sr of Mrs. A. Gladys Kernot, of Ren 'a. It is to be feared that the mdie'»ii«nt of Aucklanders for apathy in the matter of the treatment? of animals is only (too well founded. Only a week aco, the wry day on which the article by Miss Morton ap-peared-in the Hbbald, a, little fox terrier was noticed in Queen Street huddled closely at the foot? of a building, having evidently been run over. It twas badly hurt - in both neck and : . paws, and. in the last stage of distress and misery; and yet, among all the hurrying crowd of men and women, only one or two stopped to see if anything could be .done fo alleviate the poor creature's Bufferings. '•.'-'. This ' might be called the cruelty of indifference; but deliberate cruelty is, -unfortunately, not wanting. Six weeks ago a handsome j and valuable collie, v,the companion and ' protector of his mistress, was brutally tuibt on the property of his owner, for the simple offence of barking at & trespassing >•«*.. Not one of our dogs will be safe if this sort of thing is allowed to go on. Your correspondent alludes to the state of the kennels at Freeman's Bay. Surely it is within the rights of the inspector of the 8.P.0.A. to pay a surprise visit to these and other places whore €he unfortunate strays are detained, in order to ascertain what actually ie done there. A rumour has been current here—it is to be hoped it is only f a rumour the effect / that; lost dogs are being collected by some unscrupulous individual in order to serve as food for the lions at the zoo! •v: ■ /.*/" Pebro. :;'

Shy— subject matter of Miss Elsie K. Morton's article on " Animals Welfare has a . wide application in ita economic ; significance. Of ; coarse the prevention of cruelty to all animals should be vigorously enforced throughout 1 New Zealand. But, there are instances ■ where ! indispensable animals for our j economic- use and profit, are often, it »is ] very much to be regretted, subjected lo very cruel treatment that may: be unavoidable, if the exceedingly urgent expansion of land settlement is to progress as it should do. sTo illustrate § the position :—ln .some parts of the South Island, sheep, cattle and horse* .are pitiably, often partially, or -completely starved durinpr the severest winters, and many thousands of sheep have .perished. Last month when journeying by, rail and car ,from'; Whangarei to Horeke on the Hokiinga River, maajl cattle, mostly milk cows, were seen all virtually "like live skeletons. And, lit was ; reported that hundreds !'"of.;:; dairy '. cattle perished in those localities . from . exposure, r and starvation during ; the : exceptionally cold and wet of the past " winter. i But, no doubt, as climatic conditions in the Auckland province are nearly always favourable for maintaining the growth of verdure, and suitable covering, can -be cheaply procured; those '■; deplorable cruelties could, and if .possible should, be avoided by Che prevention of overstocking (ruinbus farming), which is much" toq common in New Zealand— provision;made for winter food. 01 course in our partially civilised life, we are burdened with extremely brutal individuals who deliberately, and without mercy, commit shock-.; ing excesses, and cannot be; too (severely punished. 1 But, those undesirable specimens of the genus homo might, perhaps, be mercifully entitled to benefit from the law; preventing cruelty to animals.; Opportunity tends to make brutal t natures irresponsible, and the lash, as- recommended by Borne of your correspondents, might f make inhuman* brutes more <& callously brutal. Segregation for the worst offences might prove an effective deter-, rent.* ; And only .men possessing "practical knowledge of the social, and industrial, exigencies " incidental our temporal existence should be appointed as arbiters of the punishment to be inflicted. Animals (like children), should •_ always be ' treated with undeviating • kindness, but also with absolutely .unyielding firmness. \ ' .' Cms.