The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY MONDAY, JULY 11, 1910. SHEEP WORRYING.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 July 1910, Page 2

The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY MONDAY, JULY 11, 1910. SHEEP WORRYING.

Tun axiom that "evil is wrought by want of thought as well as want of heart" has applications quite apart from the reference intended by the originator of the phrase. There is. 'for example, the case of the careless citizen whose lack of control over his children or his stock or his premises causes annoyance or loss or detriment to iwigh-■l).-;nis whom he would not even

dream cf aimmying by any active proems. Some renewed annioyaiices that have been experienced around Levin of late spring from the carelessness which allows dogs to roam at large, .singly or in company. At least two pastoralisit's near Levin have suffered serious losses amongst their sheep, during the last few weeks, through a recrudescence of the worrying tactics of vagrant dogs. Ewes in lanub have been harried to an irreparable degree of injury, and other shc'&p have been 'bitten so severely as to be peiwanoultly depreciated in value when they have not been fatally injured. That the troubles do iiwit spring from isolated instances of vicious dogs is proved by the experience of Mr X. Ivirkcaldie, 'of Levin, whose.sheep were being worried l on land situated right under the ranges. For 'better safeguard he drove them some miles— down to his homestead near Horowbenua. Lake—only (to find, after a few days, that they had boem subjected to further worrying in their new quarters. Mr J. 11. McDon-

aid, of Ileatheilea, is .another settler whose flocks are sufFeiiing through similar causes. Citizens who keep dogs should be oarofn-1 to have them utttlei' supervision when they -are let off the chain, and also see that they are never allowed their liberty at night. This is <a duty owed by one man to another for the good of tlio wh'olo oomnmniity; a duty founded on the spirit of true citizenship that recognises tlho fact that .every loss of ipotential we'alth iin, a town or district is to a greater or lesser extent the loss of every inhabitant. It is to .be feared, howcnror, that there are tome or two people in Levin who unite to recklessness in such .matters a cuninimg winch ,betokens a preliminary knowledge of their dogs' predilections that is deplorable. In at leasib one recent casa a worrying dog that was captured had no collar on Mm, though there was some ground for presuming tlnait it was really registered—for it was of a good 'breed, and somewhat up in years. QUie person wjio lalfows a registered dog io roam

at largo without a collar upon him of a surety must come under suspicion of being cognisant of his amimal's mischievous propensities, and of being desirous of evading his own liabilities 'for any destruction the dog may <10. Jt seems to tho wri tenth rob sonio safeguard against this aspect of ithe sheep owner's trouble could be afforded by the local authorities. If the dog registniitiioiii bylaws compelled payment of a second fee in all oases wherein dogs were roii'iid, roaming at lai-ge without registration collars round their necks there would be fewer instainces of tho kind than there arc now, and a- greater sense of responsibility would be instilled into the few reckless individuals who aro responsible 'for the trouble that exist at present.