WANDERING STOCK

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 211, 22 September 1937, Page 6

WANDERING STOCK

Efforts to Combat Increasing Menace MORE RIGID SUPERVISION Steps are to be taken by the Automobile Association (Hawke's Bay) to combat the increasing menace of stock wandering at night on the Napier-Gis-borne and Napier-Taupo roads. Several serious accidents to motor vehicles on these roads have recently oceurred tlirougli the presence of stock, and considerable danfage was done in each case to the vehicles involved. The seeretary of the association, Mr R. M. Chadwick, stated this morning that the practice had grown of recent months tlirough the scarcity of feed for stoelc in the district. It was not just a question of a few head of stock eseaping from an enclosure and wandering over the roadway, but was a systematic use by the farmers of the grazing facilities offered by the roadsido to relieve the position of feed on their holdiugs. On tlie Napier-Gisbonie road partieularly, the numbers of stock wandering across the highway at niglit is beeoming larger. A transport service using the road liad had more than one accident tlirough liitting stock, or resulting from the endeavours of the drivers to avoid cattle on the road, ahd in addition several private motor.-ears have been damaged. On the Napier-Taupo main highway the same position prevails to a lesser degree. It is the intention of the association to approach the Hawke's Bay Coutily Couucil with a view to more rigid supervision of straying^ stock on the roads.