Untitled

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume 6, Issue 593, 7 January 1879, Page 2

The "Sheep Act 1878" came into force on the Ist instant. As some of the clauses are very important, and the penalties for a breach of them very severe, we take upon ourselves to make a digest for the guidance of all persons havingto do with sheep. Section 1 5 defines the duties of sheep inspectors : " It shall be lawful for any Inspector, when it shall appear to him to decide satisfactorily upon the condition of any sheep, to call upon the owner of such sheep to make a declaration m the form or to the effect specified m Schedule B to this act ; and if any such owner shall refuse or neglect to make such declaration, when so called upon, he shall be liable to a penalty of not less than ten pounds nor exceeding fifty pounds ; and if any person shall make any such declaration, knowing the same to be false, he shall be liable to a penalty of one hundred pounds, or to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding six calendar months*" Section 21 declares that " Every owner of sheep shall, between the first and thirtieth clay of June m every year, deliver or cause to be delivered to the Chief Inspector a /written return, m the form provided m Schedule A, of the number of sheep and lambs of each sex exceeding three months old owned by him on the thirty-first day of May preceding, specifying m such return every, day during which he shall so offend, be liable to a penalty not exceeding twenty pounds. Such Inspector shall not be liable for any loss or damage occasioned to such owner by any act of such Inspector, unless such damage shall be occasioned by his wilful neglect or default." Further — " It shall not be lawful for any person to introduce by land any sheep from a clean district into any other district, or from an infected into an infected district, unless he shall hold a clean certificate for such sheep, and unless he shall have given to the Inspector of the district into which they are to be introduced at least seven days' previous notice of his intention so to introduce them, stating m such notice the number of such sheep, and the point at which and the day on which it is intended they shall cross the boundary of the district. Every person offending against the provisions of this section shall be liable to a penalty of not less than ten pounds nor exceeding one hundred pounds." And further — "Every occupier of any run exceeding five hundred acres m extent and not substantially fenced, who shall muster his flock or flocks for either of the purposes of dipping or dressing, or cutting and tailing, or ear-marking, or shearing, or removal from the run, shall, twenty-four hours at least before yarding the same, give personal notice to the occupiers of all the adjoining runs of his intention so to yard his sheep." ".If any Inspector shall be satisfied that any sheep m a district are ininfected with lice he shall take such steps m the matter as to him shall seem best for the cleansing of such sheep, for which airposehe shall, and may, if the sheepowner neglects to cleanse his sheep, exercise all the powers granted to him by this Act, as if the said sheep were infected with scab, and shall lave power to declare them infected sfieep j and all sheepowners and other persons shall, if the Inspector sh dl have declared the sheep to be infec ted sheep, be liable, m respect of sheep infected with lice, m the same manner as if snch sheep were infected with scab." Under the new Act Cook County has been proclaimed a sheep district, being a subdivision of the Auckland sheep district.