A FARMER'S ALLEGATIONS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 902, 23 August 1910, Page 8

A FARMER'S ALLEGATIONS.

HOW; HIS HORSES 'WERE BAILED.

' ; .'v' Some "w-eeks - ago ' TnE' Dominion .* pub- '' lished an'.article embodying complaints "concerning arrangements by .the' Railway for,, the railing of< stock. A farmerwho has dealt a lot with the De- ■ •partnienfc . in/the carriage' of horses by - = rail provided a representative of this •• paper .with .-particulars of= another case. ;His version was.as follows:— : ;Six valuable mares were placed in a truck in the .very early hours of a cer- ;; tain morning,'and. started for Wellington. - After; the train had .gone twenty' or thirty miles, the owner of 1 the mares noticed: that two of therii'were down' on ;• the floor of .the truck, and the oth^r - .four were standing and walking on them, v' Fortunately '.the , man- - .was.'- acquainted with the guard, and. kn.ew, him to : rpasonable official. • So it was arranged take the animals out, : and re-load . them.' : This' was done. At l'aekakariki // the owner noticed that two other mares V were ? dpwn. The officials of the train •!-had changed by then.'. He did not know • anyone) and -he was'.afraid tojconiplain because: his mares might" possibly have ;: been shunted off; and; would - . have missed the - steamer for. Australia. ' •' When • the strain. arrived ;at .Wellington. r 1 he went, to a railway'official, w;lio he as- ■ Biinied ;to .be; the man in charge of the v station, and said, "I -have a truck load of; valuable horses'along : there, and two .- of . them are -down. ;, • 'You might-havo '- ; 'thera taken out- as soou ; as' possible." ■ •By.- way of Teply>he was-informed that;the' mares would be out when the . ; staff ! was ready.: ; ,Thc farmer' went, to ~ 'anoth(jr'; official, btit with , unsatisfactory •: ,The. staff went on with other \\work. / Half'an hour' liad/.elapsed-;.and : bo;'attempt had been made;to release the •/mares.v ; ,: The- owner then;•,so. vho 4 states,• ft went out on to;tho street,.met. two /tten,; and took .them in : to have- a look at the animals. -,' A.porter, who .was pass- : ing by; was. a l sked"; for:a light, and :t& -V plied;-."l'm'not.supposed' to .give; you.. a. 'flight. V ; I don't,., know who' you. are/'; V.Th'e farmer and .the policemen 1 went along 4;to .one .of, the ,officials' previously seen, ■.• who now managed'to take-a very differ;eht " view :of the matter. Apparently ihe . horses ;• had : been -forgotten; : and would . .have been .left 'in'..the truck all night but f'J: for.- the, owner's persistency, .as the shunt- ; ihg engine'had.-beenr put' away. /. • • -In' order; to relieve .the animals, the. ; : owner; the two, policemen, and some railway men, ,had ■to r.push .a / number of, o vehicles about/arid" shunt^'tlie-'truck. conv taihing the imares'. to a landing place. -VThe two- ones had..to be" dragged ; out- :'with and . one of them was • iinable''-to : get: on 1 to!'its feet .'for a ' coriple. of " 'hoursafter-,that. Both.-were sold :' in. Australia.'for eachdess than their . ' estimated value, and one died of : her ih- ■ juries j.a" few days;after the' sale. . The ; one. which died .'-was: the-'least • injured of. the two: ;• Possibly'tho other died. too. .