NOT A JOKE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4926, 15 January 1926, Page 1

NOT A JOKE.

COW AM> CVIIBBKT.

LEAVE ELECTRIC WIRES ALONE.

In an apparently joctilari vein wide publicity was rccentljy given ,to a story told at a power board meeting of a farmer who cured a fence-break-ing cow by electrifying a Wire on the fence, with the result that “,the cow was speedily cured of her effor.te to escape*.”

If such a thing were ever attempted with the hydro-electric current, the joke would probably ehd in a tragedy, and though it is, hard to imagine that any sane person would seriously consider the deliberate electrifying of fences, it may be as well, to remember the deaths th.at occurred (to man and beast) through a,n accidentally electrified fence in the Waikato. As to the “es'eape cure,” .the hydroelectric branch of the Public Works Department points out that some time ago in the Tauranga district a power board’s 230-volt line came accidentally into contact with a telephone line which was hung near the ground. 'A cow that rubbed itself agajnst the telephone line met its death ; so did five others, that touched the wire. Had the .telephone wire been a fence wire the result would have beein similarly unfortunate. And a 230-volt leakage has been known to kill, a man. The Hydro-Electric Branch desires to overtake the story of the fencebreaking cow —whether joke or otherwise—with a stern warning to ail people not to tap electric currents in any way 1 :. People in the country should always look to see that fences are clear of contact.

• In the opinion of the branch the mentality of some people is so peculiar that the idea of electrified fences should not be mentioned even as a joke. Tapping wires is a punishable offence.