CRUELTY TO HORSES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1396, 23 March 1912, Page 4

CRUELTY TO HORSES.

4 SALUTAKi' FIXES. In tho Magistrate's Court yesterdaji before Mr. W. G. Riddel 1, S..M„ Saimtol llrny pleaded guilty to (wo charges of having cruelly ill-lrtated horses. Mr. E. K. Kirkcaldie, who represented the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, stated that the defendant hail been prosecuted for this kind of offouco on three occasions, and on every occasion had been convicted. The peoplo in tho Seatoun locality had laid complaints, and Inspector Seed had gone out to defendant and tried in a friendly way to induce him to do (ho right thing by tho animals. No fewer than six horses from lirny's stable were unfit to work. 'The case was, ho submitted, one for imprisonment—nothing else would stop "this brutality." The horses were in a fearful condition.

Mr. O'l.cnry, for the defendant, said (lint the horses had got into n bad condition while defendant had Ihoii away. They had been left in the lmnds of a man. who did not know how to treat them. When defendant, who was a man struggling for a living, returned, his employers pressed liim lo complete some work, and he had no option but to work tho horses. Jlo had, however, cared for (lie horses by eel Ling stud' for them from «i chemist, «nd by teeing a veterinary surgeon about them. Mis Worship said that defendant did not realise his true position regarding the. treatment of the horses, and one did not feel disposed to wild a man to gaol rnless the enso was « very gross cue. Ho was not prepared, on this iceosion, to send Uray to prison, but, as tho other fines had' not proved efficacious, Bray ■ would be fined .l'. r > on each charge, and costs totalling J!2 lCs. Two others were also dealt with, Ernest Bray being fined .£3 and costs (M Bs.) for ill-treating a horse, and Ivor Albert Thomas was fined £2 mid costs (17s. Gd.)' for a similar offence.