PLEASANT POINT RAILWAY

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13314, 17 June 1907, Page 6

PLEASANT POINT RAILWAY

TRESPASS BY DROVFRS. , Mr Baxter, Maager of the Smithfield Works, has received the following letter iiom one of the Christ church Meat .Company's clients, Mr C. H. Verity, of Totara ilowns:—" After .consultation with my ..rover. Mr Turkington, who was the other day lined by the Magistrate fur allowing fat sheep and lambs going to the works to Lre.-'pass on the. railway line, I have decided not to send more than about 400 of the fat lambs I booked for delivery on die. 19th iiist. I-will send another 4UO a little later. My last lot of nearly 800 n-ere. too many for him to attempt to keep .hem off the" line. I hope, to get up a nonster petition signed by all sheep owners in these districts, praying the Acting Min.ster of Railways to fence .the line as soon as possible." Mr Baxter, in drawing attention to the contents of this letter, remarked to a -Herald" reporter that it was absurd that a railway line beside, one of the busiest roads in the district-' should--remain untenced, if. the- trespass' of sheep upon it was objected to. " It, is: simply impossible to avoid the trespass " he said. "The sheep must go off the. metalled road to make way for wheel 'traffic.' Th?re being no fence, they cannot, be kept within the. limits of ;he road, and then they arson the railway reserve.. In aim; pL.ce:-; this is narrow, and even where it i> wide it is impossible to «uide .'lieep along the strip of want-e bst-wec-A the road on on?, side and the railwayline on the other. A drover who wants to take care of the; .sheep in Ins charge cannot be continually dogging them -oh; the road to make way for a trap or a. traction engine, and them dogging them on •to it again to keep theni off the railway. The drovers ' will refuse to drive sheep if thev are liable to ba lined for trespassing on "tha railway (for they cannot avoid it) riders the- owners or the Company undertake to pay the fines. The railway ought to be. fenced if the trospars is objected to."