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Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1992, 30 January 1907, Page 1

A USEFUL INVENTION. EARMARKING OF SHEEP. The importance of possessing somo faultless mothod of earmarking slieep, and so minimise the amount of sheep stealing that has boon complained of for years, has for a long time been exercising the inventive genius of the Stock Department, and the result has boon that in 1905 a circular was issud by the Department, setting forth the details of a scheme that was at once found to be cumbrous and unreliable. Tho diagrams attached to the circular showed a wondrous combination of punches that could easily bo altered one into tho other in somo cases and by the time a sheep had passed through two or three hands ■there would bo little ear loft. So the scheme was not proceeded with. Another has now taken its place, and the inventor of it is a Gisborne resident, who appears to have provided against every possibility in the simplest way possiblo. With a view to bringing tho details of it before farmers a Times representative sought an interview with the inventor, Mr. W. Maddison, and his explanation is given as foliowj,: For some considerable time past the sheopfarmors in various parts of the colony have been urging the necessity of a new method of earmarking in order to cope with sheep-stealing, which is always going on more or less extensively all over the colony. So successfully is this done that we rarely hear of a prosecution, let alone a conviction. Tho reason of this is not far to seek; the present method of earmarking is by no means systematic, the varieties in use at' tho present time are so limited that the marks repeat themselves over and over again; and what is worse, it is practically impossible for an owner to be able to go into court and swear to liis own sheep by means of the earmark, because it is so easy to produce another owner or even more than one to say that the mark in question is identical with his own. So much information have I gained on this point that I am confident that) were -I called upon to defend a man charged with sheep-stealing, I could in the majority of cases, if I wore so disposed, secure that man’s acquittal even though I knew him to be guilty. Then again, the present system, not merely of marking, but re-marking, sheep is bad and opens the door to criminality. In this way a man buys a number of sheep at a sale. When he gets them home his first idea is to put his mark on them. If the previous mark allows it, he places his mark over ihe original mark, and while perfectly honest in his case, yet it' is exactly what the sheep-stealer would do. If such an action arouses no suspicions in the first case, why should it do so in the second ? If the marks cannot bo put over the original then additional marks are put on, and confusion becomes worse confounded and the ears become such a mass of marks that a description from memory cannot be given correctly and absolute identification is impossible ; and in addition to this the thief is only following on the lilies of the honest man, yet he is making it impossible by this means for the law to touch him. Consequently we have no hesitation in saying that the present system is bad in so far as affording any protection to the owner is concerned, and it is made far worse by the system of allowing marks to be altered even where the sheep have been come by honestly. In approaching this question it is necessary to do so with an open mind—the difficulties surrounding any new system are very great. Certain lines have to be avoided in order to prevent possible alterations at the hands of the thief. As I proceed I shall endeavor briefly to show you Hie reasons of the why and wherefore, but at present I must ask you to give an open mind to the subject. It is rather unfortunate perhaps that some men in considering this matter have set up an ideal—a standard which, considering the ground we have to ' work upon, is absolutely impossible of attainment. For instance, I met one man who wanted a system that would allow of a fresh registration mark being applied every time a sheep changes hands. But, gentlemon, a sheep’s ear is not a blanket, but it would need to be in some cases if such a scheme were to be carried out. But this is an impossibility, as I shall show you shortly. If we cannot attain to those ideals, we can at least provide a system that shall render it possible not merelyi for tho owner t‘o say whom a sheep belongs to, but for any sheepman on reference to the register to say definitely who at least was the breeder of that sheep. The question of how to deal with sojd sheep will be dealt with later on in its proper order.

AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OP EARMARKING LIVE STOCK. - Patented No. 19,747, W. Maddison. Gisborne. In introducing my system of earmarking live stock to your notice, I wish first of all to draw your attention to the fact that it is now some six or seven years since the Agricultural Department called for competitive ideas for a new system of earmarking sheep, for which they offered a bonus. So far nothing has ever come out of this; at least ,nothing of a practical nature. I may mention that I was one of the competitors on that occasion, but before my papers reached Wellington I was satisfied that I had missed the mark, as apparently did all the rest, and the reason is not far to seek. If all men were honest it would be a comparatively easy matter to arrange a code system that should do away with the necessity for the duplication of marks, but so long as we are troubled with sheep stealing, we must of necessity have a system that shall be an absolute prevention against duffing or alteration of marks Following out this line, I was driven to accepting these conclusions, that any system which would give to flockowners absolute security must be on the following lines: —Ist, It must be a code system. 2nd, It must have an area devoted to the registration mark only. 3rd, All marks must be made by punch. 4tli, Only 3 varieties of punches may be used. sth, The minimum number of registration marks must also be the maximum. Such, briefly, are defined lines upon which any system must work to be a success, and to give that security which flockownors are looking for. It must be a code system in order that all who have anything to do in the way of handling sheep whether their own or anyone else’s may be able to irterpret that code and upon reference to the gazetted number be able to say absolutely that that sheep belongs to so-and-so of such-and-such a place. Given that much, and you have gained a great point towards absolute security. Then you must have an area devoted to the registration mark only. In which area it should not bo allowable to place any other mark on any pretence whatever, for if it is allowable to place any other mark within that area, then that mark might be placed over a registration mark and the registration mark be placed in a different position, and the identity of the sheep be lost. The next point is that all marks must be made by means or the punch. Knife work does not lend itself to variety, nor is it true enough for purposes of identification. We now come to a more important point still. Not more than three varieties of punches can be used if absolute security is to be obtained, and for this reason: if you introduce a multiplicity of punches or marks then it becomes possible for one punch to obliterate the marks of the other, and the security is lost. Therefore we are reduced to whatever variety we can obtain from the use of three punches of such a nature that one will not obliterate the marks of the other Then another important point is this, that whatever the number of marks used to constitute one earmark, the same" number and neither more nor less must constitute all other earmarks. In other words, the minimum must be the maximum, and the maximum the minimum number of marks that shall be placed within the registration area. For instance, as an illustration, suppose four owners —A, B, C, D. A’s mark consists of one mark only, B’s two marks C’s three marks, and D s four marks.' Ajs-obligc-d to be honest because he cannot find anyone’s sheep with less marks than his own that he can operate on. ! tB may come and borrow some of A , and by tne addition of another mark ' place those sheep on the same footing as his own. Then C may come along in the dark and borrow some of A*s sheep and put two marks on them, also he can take some from B, and-put one mark on them, and they are all on a level