PIG-ROOTING ON ROADS

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 63, 28 May 1928, Page 5

PIG-ROOTING ON ROADS

PUKE'NGAHU PARMER fined. At the Stratford Court this morning before Messrs W. L. Kennedy, and .Ff.- C,.. North Ernest Harper pleaded not guilty to a charge of having allowed pigs to he at large on a public road without proper! guidance. ‘ ' S. J. Cuff, County Ranger, gave evidence,, that qn May 3rd-he found that" a considerable distance on Wingrove. Road had been rooted by pigs. Witness did not'see Harper that day, and . next morning he went down again arid saw some sows on the road. Witness put these"'pigs back in Harper’s' paddbeK, ’and located Harper at the Hall, where he was dbing some* carpentry; Harper, said he had no time' to do anything in reference'to! the pig-rooting and treated the whole matter with V. indifference. Witness told Harper he would he lucky if he was not' prosecuted. Farmers usually 1 got a good’run from witness, and if the mess had been cleared up in this case there would probably have been nb prosecution. On May 13fch witness visited the road again, but no work had been done on the oroad and Harper’s gate was open., In the circumstances, there had to be a prosecution. Otherwise wit-? c ness would lose his authority on the roads. ; “NOT MY PIGS.”

In evidence, defendant said there' had '.been rooting, but not on his boundary. [He was ihe nearest person''with pigs, but he had good fences. He was sure the pigs seen', on the road were not his. He had, been thirty years in th district and •had never had trouble with cattle or pigs on the x-oad. In reply to Mr North, defendant said his boy had done something in the way of clearing up the road, but he (defendant) had not ordered him to do Tke boy took it for ' granted that their pigs had done the damage, Mr Cuff: Did you have, any trouble •with my predecessor. Defendant: 1 have never been prosecuted or paid poundage. ••

Mr Cuff: isn’t it a known fact on Wingrove Road that your pigs are a ( third of their time on your farm, a third on a neighbour's farm, and a third- on ,the County road. Defendant; Are you sure they were my pigs? Mr Cuff: Woods always keeps his pigs locked up. Mr Kennedy drew attention to the great danger to life in these days of the motor through cattle wandering on the roads, especially at night- Th© Court was convinced that dependSLt’s pigs had don© the damage, and be fined £l, with costs