A DASTARDLY ACT.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 October 1917, Page 2

A DASTARDLY ACT.

FENCES CUT TO PIECES AND

POISON LAID

AIARTON, Oetohi" 12

Pel-mission has been jjiven tp publish details of one of the grossest pieces of vandalism ever experience- in the Rangitikei district, whereby nearly three miles of fencing were deliberately cut to pieces The outrage was committed on the night of Saturday, Sep-t-in her ‘29, the main one affected being Mr. David Robb, wuoso seven-wire fence was cut no fewer ■ than 340 times, so there were something like 2380 cuts in the wires over a length between two and . a half and three miles. Most of the boundary fence followed the Rongitikei River Cliff line, and in places whole sections had been cut out between the posts and rolled up with slabs and thrown over the cliff. On another half mile the wires were cut at every post and then many of them were chopped into small pieces. Considering the present price of labour and material. Mr. Robb’s loss is estimated at between £250 and £3OO. In addition to the boundaries the marauder also cut a few gaps in every one of Mr. Robb’s subdivisoin fences, so that his farm was left as practically one huge paddjjCk. A neighbour, McKay Turnbull, also suffered loss, which, though severe enough ig light in comparison with Mr. Robb’s. His ridge fence w’as cut twenty times that is, ten gaps were cut out, after which the staples were drawn from the centrenostg and the cut portion of the fence alowed to fall. Two gaps were also cut in the boundary between the farms of Messrs Robb and M’Kay Turnbull In addition to the destruction of the fences, poisoned meat was laid along the whole of the affected lines. The perpetrator, left no clue. j ‘