COURSING AND CRUELTY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3101, 20 August 1913, Page 53

COURSING AND CRUELTY.

PUBLIC MEETING TO BE CALLED. The Rev. W. Saunders brought before the committee of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on the 12th inetant the following motion, the form of which he had been given leave slightly to alter; —“That a public meeting of the members of the society be called to discuss the question of the cruelty of coursidg within enclosures.” In speaking to his motion Mr Saunders said that when he gave notice of it he had been greatly impressed by the apparent unanimity of those present at the society’s meeting regarding coursing within enclosures as a cruel form of sport. The word “heartless” used by him had been regarded by some as almost too mild, and this emphasis on the cruelty of the sport had been made by those who voted against prosecution. He felt that if they were almost at one in regarding this as a very cruel form of sport it was due to the members of the society to let them decide whether they should or should not prosecute. Their decision, which was not a very satisfactory one, for they wore almost equally divided, meant that they were not going to prosecute in all cases of cruelty of which they were convinced. On the face of it, a society that existed for the suppression of cruelty to animals should take notice of every case of cruelty. On the other hand, ho did not like advertising the Forbury Coursing Club. If they made too much of it they might send out people who would not otherwise have gone. He had noticed with indignation that the persons —or should he eay “ person ” ?—who was responsible for the advertising in our trams permitted there notices of the coursing at Forbury. In the face of the almost unanimous decision of that society that coursing was cruel, and the leaders in both papers speaking of it as a cruel form of sport, it was somewhat monstrous that the trams should be used to lead the people, young and old, out to this sport. He thought a public meeting should .be called for that reason alone if for no other. Miss Portcous seconded the motion. Sir T. W. Jeans said he quite agreed with all that Mr Saunders had said. It would strengthen their hands, he thought, if they got a .good legal opinion as to whether coursing was cruel from a legal aspect. The Chairman (Mr G. Fenwick) concurred in the opinion that, if this meeting was to he held, the society ought to bo fortified with a good opinion. The motion was carried unanimously, and it was decided to circularise all subscribers, to the number of some 1200, regarding the meeting.