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SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

The fourteenth annnal meeting of the Otago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was held in the Town Hall yesterday afternoon, and was attended by aboufc 25 ladies and gentlemen, among them being Mr Justice AVilliams (president of the society), Mr W. Hutchison, M.H.R , Bishop Nevill, tbo Yon. Archdeacon Edwards, the Rev. L. J. Harrison, ' the Rev. Mr North, Dr Hoc Ken, Messrs C. Allan, AY. A." W. AVatheii, W. Miller, D. Wrighfc. J. Robin, J. B. Thomson, aud E. B. C. Quick (hon. secretary).

The Chairman stated that it was the practice afc the meetings of the society to take the report as read, and he proposed, with the permission of the meeting, that that course be followed ou thafc occasion. Ifc had also b.en the practice that the. chairmin should move tbe adoption of the report and balance sheet, which he accordingly proposed fco do. Ifc was the fourteenth aunual meeting of ths society. He thought it woilld be generally conceded thafc during the 14 years of its existence the society had done good and useful work—(hear, heaf), —and dutiDg thab period ifc had raised the standard of treatment to which the animal world here were subject. More especially was this the case so far as horses were concerned. Although, unfortunately, the greater number of cases in which the society had occasion to prooecute related to horses, yet he thought it would be admitted that oases of cruelty to horses were fewer in number than formerly, and persons haying to do wifch horses had been led to appreciate the fact that they could not illtreat these creatures with impunity. As he had often before said, the greater number of cases with which the society had to deal did nob arise from deliberate cruelty, bufc from want; of thought rather than want of heart, and oue great benefit the society had conferred upou the community was that it had taught people to think and to better remind the fact thafc their fellow-creatures, though they be dumb and could not address public meetings, had rights which were to be respected. Ib would be seen in fche report; thafc during the past year a sum of money had been subscribed to meet the needs of the society. In the report, however, there was one printer's error. Ifc was set forth that there was a substantial balance of £W1 103 7d. By a reference to the balance sheet, ifc would be seen fchat thafc was an error. The balance was £11 10s 7d, not £H1 10i 7d. If it went forth to the world that the society had this large amount to their credit ifc would well be said that they had more money than tbey knew what to do witb. The inspector's report showed the actual work done by the society. There were 136 cases of alleged cruelty investigated, 34- prosecutions were instituted against 20 persons, and 29 convictions were obtained against 15 persons. He (the chairman) would remind the meeting that fche society derived no pecuniary benefit from the funds, nor was there any inducement for prosecutions to be instituted. . Ifc would be seen thafc Mr Inder, the society's honorary solicitor at Naaeby, hud secured convictions against two persons. AVith regard to tram horses it would ba remembered tbas in the last report somo reference was made to the treatment of these horses. The present report stated that a great number of complaints still continued to reach the office-bearers wifch regard to the condition of these horses. He could not spaak of this matter at all of his own knowledge. He understood, however, from Mr Quick, the honorary secretary, that he' had received complaints from a number of entirely disinterested persons with regard to the condition of the horses, and remonstrance had been mado to the haulage contractor, bat to no purpose. The committee recommended an alteration in the law so as to enable oonvie'io'is to be secured against the owners of hor^e; which were ill-used. Afc present fchey ooit'd only be reached through their servants, ai it was impossible to prove a guilty knowledge ou their parfc. Ifc wonld ba difficult, he thought, to frame a provision to satisfactorily meet the case. Although ifc was desirable that owners, of horses should be punished, ifc would appear unjust that they should be made criminally responsible for the acts of their servants, unless they were aware of such acts or authorised them. The society had to thank the police, who were always ready and willing to render assistance, also the honorary solicitor and veterinary surgeons, the press, and the Railway department. The hon. solicitors and veterinary surgeons gave a lot of time fco tha society, for which they received no remuneration whatever. The committee also wished to express their satisfaction with the work of the inspector. The committee were entively satisfied with what the inspector was doing. The fact that the list of prosecutions instituted by bim showed fchat in tbe majority of. cases convictions were secured was proof that the inspector carried out his duties honestly, and that he lmd nofc attempted to harass persons in charge of animals. Mr Quick, the hon. secretary, as wan well-known, was the life of fche society, and tho speaker had no doubt that the meeting would, have the pleasure of hearing him at a later stage make a few remarks touching the work of the society. He moved the adoption of the report and balance sheet;.

Dr Hocken seconded the adoption of the report and balance sheet.

Mr Mulkr, with the permission of the chairman, would like to say a few words. He thought that the objects and'work of the society should command the support of every rightthinking man and woman. There was one thing he wished to bring under the notice of the meeting, and thafc was the conveyance of sheep by. trucks. Tha double-decked trucks were too low in the roof, and in many cr-ses rested upon the backs of the sheep, causing a severe wound. Tbis was not easily detected until the sheep were killed. The batchers had told him that in many cases there was a great loss in Bheep that had been so injured, and in some instances butchers had a conbracfc to receive these carcases at a reduced price. The evil had been going on for a considerable time, and he thought the Government was at fault iv nofc altering the trucks. If the roofs were raised 4in or.6in the matter would bo remedied. He would be very glad to give any information to the society on the Bubject. The sheep could scarcely move, and were not animals that would call out or attempt to shift about.

Tha Yen. Archdeacon Edwards, referring to the matter of the trams, said much more blame was to be attached to tha owners than to the drivers of the horses. As his Honor had said, it would be very difficult to frame a law by which the owner could be reached, bat suroly a veterinary surgeon would know whether a horse was in a lib state to be put into a tramcar. He had some sympathy with the tram drivers, because if there was a complaint about the matter ib simply meant their dismissal. They would need to have a law under which the owners of tbe horses, and not the drivers, would be punished.

Mr Watuen thought the discussion concerning the tram horses would do a great deal of good. He thought that if the suggestion in the papers—that a start should be made from a different point—had been carried out tha difficulty would have been overcome. He referred to a hope he had that the existence of such a sooieby as theirs would not be necessary as timo went by, bufc from the report it did nob seem probable that such a thing would como aboub. Mr Miller would like to explain that he did not complain of the overcrowding of the sheep trucks, but of the lowness of the roofs. The report and balance sheet were then adopted. ELECTION OP OFFICEHS, ETC. Tha Rev. L. J. Harrison had much pleasure in proposing the re-election of his Honor Mr Justice AVilliams as president of the society and of acknowledging the indebtedness of tho society to his Honor. He agreed with the Yen. Archdeacon Edwards that it was very desirable that the owners of horso3 should be reached by the prosecutions. A great deal had been said about the tram horses, but the reason they board more of the tram horses was because thay were constantly under tho public eye. Probably the tram horses were about as woll off as other horses, and he had had occasion to protest against the treatment of horses that were driven in other vehicles. He agreed with what had been said regarding the carrying of sheep in trucks, aod mentioned that he had known bullocks to'ba treated cruelly by the oareless shunting of the trucks into which they had been driven.

Mr W. A. W. AVathesj sccondad the motion, which was carried by acclamation.

His Honor said : I have to thank you very sincerely for the honour you have done me, and to say that I have great pleasure in accepting the office.

The Rev. A. North proposed the re-election of the Hon. T. Dick and Mr George Fenwick as vice-presidents. Ho was, he Eaid, glad of the opp&tunifcy of expressing his sympathy with the society. Ha was at its birth, and had attended, he believed, every meeting since, and it seemed to him the society was doing a very wholesome and much-needed work .in assist. wsx,_ The scent of the saciet*.

was very judicious in his operations, being not anxious to prosecute, but anxious to secure the immunity of animals from ill-treatment. There was, he was inclined to think, a tendency to exaggerate the amount of. .cruelty practised. He might say he kept his eyes open, and he saw very little of :ifc. The community as a whole, he thought, was free from this vice, and; his impression was that the quiet and effective work of the society had done much to bring aboufc this state of things.

Mr J. Robin seconded the motion, which was also adopted.

The Right Rev. Dr Nevim,, Bishop of Dunedin, moved that the, committee , consist of:—Mrs D. L. Adamson, Mrs J. Allen, Mrs Ch»mberlain, Mrs Dick, Mrs Edwards, Mrs Hocken, Mrs Jeffcoat, Mrs AVilliam MHIb, Mrs AVaicott, Miss Marion C. Allan, Miss E. I. G. Eliott, bis Worship the Mayor (for the time being),' Rev. L. J. Harrison, Hon. S. B. Shrim6ki, Dr A. J. Fergusson, Dr Hocken, Dr Ogston, Major Evans (Oanlaru), Mr Collin Allan, Mr H, F. Hardy, Mr A, M. Meikle, Mr Wi Mills, Mr J. Robin, 'Mr W. H. Taggatt, ond Mr J. B. Thomson. He could very cordially desire the arrival of the time when there should be no necessity for tbe existence of this organisation. He always felt ifc a blot upon the community that there should be a need for it. Tho moral forces which ought to have been developed by the. religious teaching given for so many years should: have reudered it impossible that men could be found who would even to a small degree tyrannise over the good creatures of God, which had in their charge for the good of every creature God had made. This, however, opened a wide question on which he would not enter.. There was necessity for the society, and it was right and necessary that persons should be appointed' to have fche conduct bf its affairs.,! He therefore moved the adoption of the resolution appointing the ladies and gentlemen named tho committee of management.

Mr Colin Allan seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously.

Mr Colin Allan moved—" That the following gentlemen be appointed honorary solicitors of the society:—Messrs W. Allan (Mosgiel), A. Bathgate, F. R. Chapman,.A. G. Creagh (Oamaru), A. Crooke (Lawrence), D. M. Findlay (Palmerston), D.- Finlayson (Lawrence), J. F. M. Fraser, J. M. Gallaway, A. L. Herdman (Naseby), AY. F. Inder (Naseby), AY. C. MacGregor, W. D. Milne, H. Newton (Oamaru), F, W. Platts (Porfc Chalmers), D. Reid (Milton), W. A. Sim, S. Solomon, D. Stewart (Balclutha), F. Stilling, and AY. Turton (Queenstown)."

Mr W. Hutchison seconded the motion, and in doing so said he was afraid that after the expressed opinion '.bf his Honor it would be rather a difficult matter to get the owners of cruelly-treated horses brought under the cognisance of the law. It was the owners, not the drivers, of horses who should be punished if horses were worked that were nnQfc for work; for the circumstances of the drivers would not permit them to adopt fche heroic conduct of refusing to work the horses when required to dnie them. He believed there would be no difficulty in getting the Legislature to attempt to ms^fc the difficulty. As to the cruel treatment of sheep in railway trucks, fche remedy for that wculd; he believed, be provided if the attention of the railway authorities were called fco tho matter.

The President said, with reference to Mr Hutchison's remark?, that what he (the speaker) had referred to wag the difficulty of framing an amendment of the law that would be entirely just and satisfactory. If the owner knowingly had a. horse worked 'that was unfit for work he conld now be punished, but the difficulty was to sheet the charge home to the owner.

The motion was put and adopted,

On the motion of Mr J. B. Thomson, the following gentlemen were reappointed hon. veterinary surgeons:—Mr J. G. Douglas, Mr S. Slesinger, Mr A. Hamilton, Mr F. Robertson (Oamaru), Mr T. Cunningham (Oamaru).

On the motion of Mr E. Quick, Mr Frederick Smith was reappointed hon. treasurer.

Dr Hocken, at the request of the Yen. Archdeacon Edwards, moved that Mr Quick ba appointed hon. secretary. Ifc had been well said that Mr Quick was the life of the society, and everybody recognised that ifc would be a. great misfortune if they lost his valuable services.

Mr J. B. Thomson seconded the appoint, ment, which was carried. ■

Mr Quick thanked them for the honour they had done him^ Ha would like to say something about the tram horses. The extreme trouble about this matter was hardly known, and but few days passed without there being some complaints received about fche treatment of the horses, and the wording of the report was not' too strong, bufc was fully justified. Two cases had been dealt with that did not appear in the report, and there was a case coming on on Tharsday next. Even that day they bad bad a complaint aboufc, a case. : He thought that the society had led is some measure to a reduction in the number of cases of cruelty. These were nearly all confined to the treatment of horses, and ib, seemed bad that the horse, whioh was perhaps man's best friend, should suffer at the hands of man. It was perhaps want of though!; rather than cruelty. In the majority of cases it had been thought wiser nofc fco prosecute, bufc to try and indnce a better state of feeling; but, of course, there were numerous cases that should be prosecuted, while others were batter met by kind consideration. Their inspector had a very nice manner with him, and tried to persuade pßople to kinder treatment. He (Mr Quick) did not think there had ever been a charge against the society that prosecuted people were persecuted, and iv some instances people had come afterwards, and given' lees to the society, which he considered proved tbat the affairs of fche society had been carried .on in a ptoper way. He invited Mr Miller to call upon him, and lay the matter of the sheep trucks before him, and referred to the fact that, Tiaving so many honorary solicibora in the country, they might deal with any case without sending the inspector. , On the motion of Mr Weight, seconded by Mr Allan, MobsTs AY. Brown and Co. we're appointed hon. auditors.

Mr W. Hutchison, in moving a hearty vote of thanks to the chairman for presiding, said he had never had an opportunity of coming before his Honor in his official capacity— (laughter),—bufc he always came before him at two public meetings. Mr Wathen seconded the motion, and added the other officers of the society, and, his Honor having briefly returned thanks, the meeting terminated.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT18960222.2.11

Bibliographic details

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10601, 22 February 1896, Page 2

Word Count
2,768

SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. Otago Daily Times, Issue 10601, 22 February 1896, Page 2

SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. Otago Daily Times, Issue 10601, 22 February 1896, Page 2