The Fielding Star. Published Daily. THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1894. SHEEP STEALING.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 286, 12 April 1894, Page 2

The Fielding Star. Published Daily. THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1894. SHEEP STEALING.

From time to time we hear of the prevalence of the crime of sheep stealing in this district. Small lots of from iour to five, and greater lots up to two or three hundred head, have been missed, and all enquiries made by the sufferers have resulted in — nothing. At first opinions were expressed that the missing sheep had gone astray in the bush ; had got mixed with neighbouring flocks ; or, getting out on a road, had been accidentally absorbed by mobs being driven either to the freezing works or to the stock sales. Possibly each oue I of these views was more or less correct, and accounted for the loss in some instances, but certainly not in all. The fact remains that certain flocks have been diminishing lately in a manner which has yet to be exposed. Cases have been instanced where the fences were so good that a dog could not get through them ; gates secured by proper fastenings ; and all other apparently necessary precautions taken for the safe keeping of the flock, yet when they were counted, a deficiency was discovered. We take it thnt where so many owners have suffered loss in this connection, their best course to adopt is coatbinsition. We admit that where the}' are so numerous as they are here, it would be a work of difficulty to get a meeting of the whole of them, yet a fairly representative gathering could easily be obtained niter one of the local stock sales. The whole subject could then be discussed from every point of view, and remedial or preventative measures adopted for the better protection of their property. Unless such a course be adopted, and that soon, the evil complained of will assume far larger dimensions than it docs now. Nothing encourages crime so much as immunity from detection and punishment.