GRAZING RESPONSIBILITIES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 94, 10 June 1911, Page 3

GRAZING RESPONSIBILITIES.

CLAIM FOll LOST SHEEP. At the Magistrate’s Court yesterday a case was started between David Hick ford (Poliokura) and Percy Saxton (M atari). Mr Spence appeared for Hickford and Mr Sellar (Hawera) for Saxton. Saxton placed SOI) shoe]) on Hideford’s land, agreeing to pay ;,'d per head per week for grazing, and to v acate Ihe land on a mont h’s notice Early in March, Hickford gave Saxton a wed-: in which to vacate the land, hut this was not done until early in April. Therefore, Hickford claimed, from Saxton, £lb (six weeks’grazing between March 3rd and April lot’ll at ;,'d per bead per week), and Cl for labour in mustering. On his aide, Saxton claimed Cl!) ]()s from Hickford, being the value of 30 sheep at 13s each, which wore short delivered when the sheep were removed. Saxton further claimed £2O, as damages for having boon ordered off the land on a week’s notice instead of being given a month. , Hickford’,s claim was, admitted except as to paying for the grazing of the thirty sheep short delivered and the cost of mustering. Saxton’s claim against Hickford was therefore proceeded with, Mr Sellar seeking to show that Hickford was responsible for the thirty missing sheep. Arthur Alfred Piper, farmer. Meromoro, said he had been sheepfanning all his life. He had had some experience in Canterbury and for the past fifteen years ho had been, farming in Taranaki. He had inspected the fences in company with Saxton, Across the creek boundary there was a rimu log which "could easily lie crossed by sheep, especially well-grown ones. There we be plain indications that sheep had crossed the log, from which they could easily roach the road. Further along there wore four or five holes in the first few chains through -which sheep could easily get. Hero also two of the wires on the ' fence had been silted up, which enabled the sheep to jump the fence. Up to the first gate the wires were fairly good, lint filterwards many standards, were missing and the wires were very loose—it was possible to pull three wires together with the hand. Further on the bottom wire was about a foot from the ground and slack in addition. At various places the fence was in a bad state. There was evidence of logs having been placed in position to stop holes, but the logs had been displaced by sheep. At another point sheep had only to cross a drain three feet wide to get on the road, and there was also a place where a swamp acted as boundary. In dry weather sheep could easily get through the swamp. On one of the side boundaries three posts were rotted off and there was a track beneath the fence showing where slice.]) ’ had gone through. He would not class the .fences as sheep-proof fences. At only one place did the fence hoar any evidence of recent repair. Two men working for a fortnight could make the fence sheep-proof. Four and six tooth wethers wore generally regarded as strong sheep and if a mob of 800 was grazing from December to March it might ho expected that one or two would die. In sheep fences the bottom wire should bo no more than four inches from the ground. At this point the case was adjourned till next Court day.