PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1182, 26 October 1894, Page 33

PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

The first annual meeting of the Wellington Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will be held at the City Council Offices this (Friday) afternoon. The report of the committee to be presented on that occasion is as follows: — The committee have pleasure in presenting their first annual report for the year ended 30th September, 1894. One of the first matters that had to be dealt with was the appointment of an inspector, which, after careful consideration, was conferred upon Mr A. W. Smith, for some years inspector of the Christchurch Society, who commenced his duties on February 1. The number of cases of cruelty investigated during the year was 183, the number of prosecutions 13, two of which were withdrawn and one dismissed through informal summons. The treatment of cattle and poultry during conveyance to and from Wellington by sea and rail has received a good deal of attention, and it is satisfactory to report that in the majority of cases the wishes of the Society have been readily complied with. In this connection the co-operation of the Union Steamship Company and the Wellington Harbour Board is gratefully acknowledged. Frequent complaints having been made of the overloading of drays on the wharves, the matter was brought under the notice of the Wellington Harbour Board, who have promised in all cases where the Society’s inspector has reason to believe excessive loads are being carried to allow such loads to be weighed on the Board’s weighbridges free of cost to the Society. In order to afford some relief to the horses from the strain caused by the frequent stoppage of the tramcars and ’busses, the City Council has been asked to remedy the evil by appointing certain stopping places at reasonable intervals through the city. The committee are pleased to report that steps are now being taken to carry out the recommendation. Since his appointment the inspector has visited the following places :—Eketahuna, Grej town, Upper and Lower Hutt, Johnsonville, Kilbirnie, Kaiwarra, Masterton, Hgahauranga, Petone, Wadestownand Wallaceville. With a view of enlisting tho sympathy and co-operation of the younger members of the community, it has been decided to establish bands of mercy in connection witfr the Society, and'

in response to the invitation of the committee bands have been formed at the following schools:—Newtown, Clyde quay, Mount Cook Boys’ and Girls’ Schools. The General Committee has met regularly every fortnight to receive the inspector’s reports, deal with questions of finance, and other business connected with the work of the Society. The treasurer’s statement, duly audited, shows the receipts to have been <£l3o Is Bd, and the expenditure £B7 8s 6d, leaving a balance in hand of £42 13s 2d. While grateful for the pecuniary support accorded to them during the past year, the committee trust there will be a large increase in the number of subscribing members during the coming year, as the income from this source is hardly sufficient to defray the actual working expenses of the Society. On the 28tli August a very able and interesting lecture on the life of Robert Burns was given by Mr A. S. Paterson in aid of the funds of the Society, which benefited to the extent of £l6 14s 2d. To mark their gratitude for this valuable help the committee have elected Mr Paterson a life member of the Society. The thanks of the Society are due to the Tramway and ’Bus Companies for granting free passes to the inspector when travelling on the Society’s business; also to the honorary solicitors, Inspector Pender and the police for the assistance rendered by them in prosecuting the work of the Society. The balance-sheet is as follows :—Subscriptions, £llO 15s ; solicitors’ fees handed to Society, £2 12s 6d; proceeds of Mr Paterson’s lecture, £l6 14s 2d : total, £l3O Is Bd. Disbursements : —Salary of inspector, from February 1 to September 30, £66 13s 4d; bonus to do. for quarter ended June 30, 1894, £10; advertising, 7s 6d; stationery, £7 15s; sundries, £2 12s 8d; cash in hand (Union Bank, £2 13s 2d, Savings Bank, £4O), £42 13s 2d : total, £l3O Is Bd.

Several properties passed in at the recent sale of Todd’s estate have since been disposed of by Messrs Harcourt and Co. Lots 3 and 4, the premises on Lambton quay occupied by Mr G. W. Dutton and Mr Orr, with a frontage of 35ft 7in, including part of Mr Batkin’s shop and land and Messrs E. W. Mills and Co.’s brick building on the section, has been sold to Messrs R. Holliday and Co., for the sum of £SBO0 — equal to £163 per foot. Lot No. 5, having a frontage of 47ft 3in to Wellington terrace, was also sold to the same buyers for £IOO. Lot No. 6, with frontage of 61ft Bin, and dwellinghouse, in the occupation of Mr Simpkin, have been sold to Mr J. M. Richardson for £450. The properties are sold subject to existing leases. With these sales the total proceeds to date amount to £12,862.

The monthly meeting of the Harbour Board was held yesterday afternoon week. Present—Messrs Jack (chairman), Heaton, Fraser, Booth, Petherick, the Mayor and Captain Rose. Mr E. Pearce wrote apologising for his non-attendance. The Chairman reported that the credit balance on current account was £3117 4s 9d, and the amount on fixed deposit was £36,000. The following recommendations by the Wharves and Accounts Committee were agreed to : —That an ordinary foreshore license be granted to Mr J. Piper for the erection of a boatshed on the beach at Petone; that a foreshore license at a peppercorn rental be issued to the Wellington Naval Artillery Volunteers for the erection of boat skids at Jervois quay; that as the Wharves and Accounts Committee meeting for November falls on the Prince of Wales’ Birthday (9th prox.) and the Board meeting falls on the second day of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s Show (15th prox.), these meetings be each postponed one week—viz., to the 16th and 22nd November respectively.

The Customs duties collected at this port last week amounted to £4372 0s 9d, and the beer duty to £6O 6s 9d. On Friday last it was reported to the police by a man named Hugh Kelly that his mate John W. Rice, alias George Smith, alias George Jones, had decamped with his swag and contents. Mounted-Constable Smith was sent out in search of Rice, and after a long journey on horseback was forced to return empty-handed. On Saturday he made a fresh start, and at the Upper Hutt came across the man he was in search of with the missing swag in his possession. Rice, it appears, had travelled about six miles beyond the Upper Hutt, when, meeting some friends, he returned for a drink, which resulted in his arrest. The Tainui, which arrived on Monday morning, brought an English parcel post. The Corporation Inspector (Mr J. Doyle) has submitted a report to the City Council as the result of his recent tour among the Chinese in Wellington. He finds, he states, that there were 107 Chinese in the city in 1891, and that the number has since increased to fully 200. They occupy 47 fruit and vegetable shops, 10 market gardens, three boardinghouses, one wholesale house, and one laundry, besides a few other houses occupied by hawkers and Chinese who are married to European women. That would give an average of less than four to each house. He visited the principal boardinghouses in Taranaki street at about 1 a.m. on Sunday, and, although that was the house most frequently referred to as being overcrowded and filthy, he saw no evidence on that occasion of either. He went all over the house —in one room of

which there were about 20 men playing dominoes—and it seemed to him that their internal arrangements, bedding, &c., would compare favourably as regards cleanliness with the ordinary European bachelor establishment. That did not apply to the houses, or rather hovels, used by the gardeners, which certainly are very dirty generally and without sanitary arrangements except of the most primitive kind. A series of prosecutions he had instituted against them had made them more careful in regard to certain insanitary practices, and as the owners of the houses in which they lived would in due time have to comply with the sanitary by-law he did not think any danger to the public health could be anticipated. So far as he could ascertain there are no Chinese artisans of any kind at work in the city. The report was handed to the press for publication.

Mr F. E. Tomlinson, photographer, has shown us a splendidly finished bromide enlargement of - the Parliamentary Buildings. We believe the picture is the first that has been taken of the buildings since the grounds were altered, and the finish and detail generally reflect every credit on the artist. The hon treasurer of the Wellington Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to A nimals desires to acknowledge the receipt of the following subscriptions, collected by Mrs Lingard : —-Mr Frank Allen, 5s ; Mr Alex. Turnbull, <£2 2s; Sir Robert Stout, £1 Is. A meteor of remarkable brilliancy was observed in the southern portion of the heavens Monday night. It described a large arc across the sky, and ultimately broke up into a shower 6f small stars, which brilliantly illuminated the heavens. The inmates of the Benevolent Home now number 76 —58 males and 18 females. Ten were discharged during the week. . At a meeting of the Ballance Memorial Committee, Mr J. O’Dea presiding’, the attitude of Parliament in regard to the memorial was discussed, and it was decided to take the necessary steps to have a statue erected, instead of the memorial previously decided upon. The chairman and Messrs A. Ward and Dark were appointed a committee to make the necessary arrangements with the contractor.. Subsequently the committee interviewed the Premier, who promised to assist them in every way possible. The usual weekly meeting of the Benevolent Trustees was held Tuesday afternoon. Present Messrs S. Lancaster (in the chair), T. W. McKenzie, B. Mothes and G. M. Kebbell. The secretary reported the receipt, through Messrs Levin and Co., of the usual half-yearly donation of <£lo to the Society’s funds, from “ L.” A number of applications for assistance were considered, relief being granted in several deserving cases.