A FENCING DISPUTE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13483, 24 July 1907, Page 3

A FENCING DISPUTE.

Reuben Alphonso Wood and Margaret Hall being unable to agree as to .the description of fenoe that should be put up between their respective pro perties, His Worship was asked to decide the dispute. The application was made by Mr Wood. Mr C. H. Weston appeared for the applicant and Mr Quilliam for the defendant. Mr Weston said that the point was whether the fence was to consist of seven barbed wires or four barbed and three i)lain wires. It' seemed a trifling matter' to go to Court over, but as the case proceeded it would be seen that the case was of great importance to farmers. This part of Taranaki was cursed with blackberry and one of those who had it on his property was* the applicant. To eradicate the pest Mr Wood put a number of goats on the property and tho result of this enterprise anr! originality was that a great service had been done to the district. Goats were very hard to keep in,' being exception ally agile and cunning. Mr Wood now had 700 goats on his property and he found that the only fence that would keep them in was one of seven barbed wires. A fence of this description had been erected between himself and a neighbour, Green, but the fence between himself and Mrs Hall Vas unsatisfactory and was the cause of great annoyance to him, as his goats got out. Mrs Hall's son was approached and it was arranged that the Halls and Mr Wood would erect a sufficient fence. The defendant had failed to comply with this arrangement, so an order wa» served on her by the applicant requiring a seven barbed wire Jfence. Evidence was given by two witnesses that it was necessary to have a fence of seven barbed wires to keep in goats. <;

Mrs Hall, her two«sons and two othei witnesses gave evidence to show that a seven barbed wire fence was an un reasonable demand and that the fenc*» defendant proposed to erect would sat isfy the requirements of the Act. Judgment was reserved.