SHEEP MISSING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22796, 2 August 1937, Page 10

SHEEP MISSING

TIRAU FARMERS' LOSS

VALUABLE BREEDING EWES

POLICE WITHOUT A CLUE [FROM OUII OWN CORRESPONDENT J HAMILTON, Sunday A heavy loss of sheep has been suffered by Mr. T. 1). Allen, of Auckland, from his farm at Tirau, 100 ewes being missing since May 13. Mr. Allen and bis brother, Mr. J. S. Allen, dissolved partnership on May 13, when Mr. T. D. Allen took over a block of 600 acres and 1100 breeding ewes. The area is a mile and a-lialf from the main Garn-bridge-Botorua highway, and the paddocks in which the sheep were depasturing are out of sight of the homestead. Several weeks after the partnership was dissolved and the number of the ewes was checked, an employee reported that some of the sheep were missing. This report was confirmed early in June, when the sheep were carefully counted at crutch ing-time. The matter was then placed in the hands of the police, but their inquiries so far have been fruitless. Mr. Allen has now offered a reward of £SO for any information which will lead to the recovery of the sheep. The animals were ear-marked with the letter T out of tho tip of the left ear and lower centre edge of tho right ear, and had a red brand over the left shoulder.

Mr. Allen values the sheep at from 32s to 34s a head or at about £l7O, and as they were all m lamb he estimates his total prospective loss for the ewes, their lambs, and their wool at about £3OO.

Mr. B. H. Bailey, a neighbour of Mr. Allen, lost 40 ewes at about the same time as Mr. Allen did. Mr. Bailey's loss has also been reported to the police, but no trace of tho missing sheep has been found. Mr. Allen stated last evening that he could not say whether the sheep had strayed or had been stolen, hut ho hoped the offer of a reward would bring him some information regarding their whereabouts.