SHEEP STEALING

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19634, 22 July 1935, Page 2

SHEEP STEALING

STATION OWNERS CHARGED

THRIE BROTHERS IN OOURT.

♦IAGISTRATE RESERVES DECISION.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

GORE, Saturday.

A case of considerable interest was concluded before Mr -W. H. Freeman, S.M., in the Gore Magistrate’s Court last evening when John Slater Shaw, James Slater Shaw and John George Shaw, extensive runholders at Balfour and Mandevllle, were proceeded against on G 5 Informations of alleged sheep stealing and breaches, of the Stock Act. ‘ Evidence for the Informants alleged \ that accused during the past three seasons carried out the practice of • marking and tailing all lambs' found on , their property, Irrespective of whether they belonged to neighbours or themselves. The lambs were tailed and ; earmarked with their brand and the wool appropriated and sold as their , own. Sheep also had been turned out , in paddocks to , feed with their own flocks, some branded and some not, but none of the earmarks were interfered with, , The discovery originated in a surprise visit paid by Mr Parsons, a neighbour, who had gone to the yards while shearing was in -progress. Later he saw John Slater Shaw, senior, who said there were none of the Glenure sheep among the sheep yarded. As the result of a .subsequent muster, 121 sheep were found which belonged to neighbours; Some were shorn arid some not. These were taken by their owners who claimed the value of the fleeces and’ the lambs which must ihave been running with wet ewes. The claims were paid by accused.

Practice Not Adhered to.

The practice of farmers was to put aside all:.stragglers with lambs found in the flocks, but what the accused had done was to tail and earmark all of them which thus lost identity, and their value w r as then asked for. It was further alleged that in a statement to the police one of the accused said Ills father told him to shear all stragglers as the neighbours did likewise, Evidence for accused show’ed that due to an unusually dry season there were more stragglers last year than was customary. Accused, ran 8000 sheep and the stragglers was a very small percentage. It was not the practice of district farmers to advise neighbours when they intended to shear. When shearing did occur, the -•stragglers were put on one side,and reC’•’turned to their owners. Accused had no intention to steal. The muster was forced on accused during the • middle of shearing before they had an i. opportunity to return the stragglers. All shorn and unbranded sheep were '■ retained in a paddock on the home farm to be returned at the first opportunity. The magistrate reserved judgment. On further charges of having shorn stray .sheep and failing legibly to brand them on the head with a registered brand, - pleas of guilty were entered. 1

The question of a penalty was reserved.