COW-POISONING CASE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2544, 19 August 1915, Page 6

COW-POISONING CASE

' JUDGMENT FOR PLAINTIFF. (By TolesraDh.—Press Aasociation.l j Whangarei, August 18. Judgment was given yesterday by Mr. E. I'age, S.M., in the extraordinary cowpoisoning case Herbert Shalders v. James Harrison and; Sons. Plaintiff claimed £94 ss. damages caused by prize cattle being poisoned after eating mo- ' lasses supplied by defendants. . : At the hearing a fortnight ago Mr. f H. H. Ostler appeared for the Colonial " Sugar Refining Company, who, he said, ? were the real defendants. The molasses " was placed in a barrel which previously 3 had held: oil, and a quantity of oil was • found with the molasses. ' ■ It was contended for' tho defenco " that the oil was harmless to cattle, and the sickness of the animals was duo to 5 an overdose of molasses. ' The Magistrate held, that this conr tention was not established, and declar- ! Ed it his opinion that tlio 6ickness wjis ' dte to the presence in tho molasses of ' impurities in tlie form of mineral oil and ' a small amount of ultramarine. Ho 1 gavo judgment for plaintiff for £33 10s. and costs £27 12s. 9d. 1 Leave to appeal was granted. The case is the first of tho kind heard in tlie Dominion.