CATTLE IN THE WINTER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23378, 21 June 1939, Page 17

CATTLE IN THE WINTER

Sir. —Winter is upon us once again, and the. disgraceful processions of "culled" cows along the main highway have recommenced. How long is this offence against every humane principle and law of health to continue? I was held up on the Great South Poad by a mob of between three and four hundred in nil stages of exhaustion and emaciation. J asked one of the drovers'how long they had been on the road. "A fortnight," he told me. "Have they had any food all that time?" I asked. "Only what they can pick up on the side roads, lady." On my return I passed along one of those "side roads ' where these wretched beasts were to "pick up" their food. As far as the eye could see was a sea of liquid mud and filth. Three mobs have been herded on this same stretch of road within the lastlive weeks to my knowledge—there may have been more that I have not seen. There are two remedies, apart from the obviously inevitable removal of the boiling down works to further into the country. The first is that the railways should be compelled to provide cheap trucking and transport for these animals, and so keep them off the roads altogether, and the second is the surveying and making of an adequate stock route away from the main roads. This latter scheme should slirely not present such difficulty to Mr. Semple, if only lie can divert his thoughts from his great "cut-away-all-the-corncrs-and-inake-every-road-a-motorists'-speedway'' campaign. I read some time ago that, it was seriously being suggested that the Great- South Road should be doubled in width from Auckland to Papakura. If this iniquitous scheme is put through I hope that every motorist (myself included) who uses this road will he haunted by the ghosts of the old culled cows bellowing to heaven for an easier way along which to pass to their "last round-up." Opaheke. Kathleen Binoley.