ALLEGED CRUELTY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5473, 11 September 1929, Page 3

ALLEGED CRUELTY.

CALF AT SALEYARD. CASE DISMISSED. At the Police Court held at Paeroa on Monday P. J. Vuglar, Paeroa, and H. A. Nicholson, Kerepeehi, appeared before Mr F. W. Platts, S.M., charged with alleged cruelty to a calf in not supplying it with sufficient and proper food. ,* Mr R. S. Carden appeared for both accused and asked that they be taken together and tried summarily. He entered a plea of not guilty. Sergeant Calwell, for the police, said it was a case of rather unusual circumstances. At the last stock sale the cow and calf had been sold. The cow had been taken away some 36 hours before the calf was destroyed. The cow had been driven away by drovers, while the calf was left behind in the yard. The Rev. J. Lowden, giving evidence, stated that on July 22 he saw several calves' at the saleyard, the one in question among them. On the 24th it was still there, and alone at least from Tuesday morning. It had bellowed incessantly since the yard had been evacuated until it was killed, after he had rung up Mr D. G. McMillan, of the Loan and Mercantile Co., and Constable McClinchy. It had had no: fodd. The calf had just been born. -

In answer to Mr Carden witness said that the calf was in a pen. He would not deny that it was running in the paddock on Monday night, but whoever said it was would be lying. He lived'iiext to the saleyards. Hunger 'kept the calf bellowing, an altogether different bellow from a calf merely left alone. It had been born on the Sunday, for on going into the yqrd on Monday he had seen a new-born calf. A calf: went to udder immediately after birth. A calf might wait 24 hours, but that was not the usual practice. A jolly good “tuck in” would last one from morning until evening. He was not farming, but had kept cows for his own use since boyhood. The cows had been evacuated from the saleyard on Monday evening or Tuesday morning. The mother had been y removed on Monday and the calf was alone that evening. He had communicated with the stock inspector and asked him to take it away, as his wife could, get no sleep. He also got in touch with Constable McClinchy and Mr McMillan, the latter destroying the animal. He did not see Vuglar drive away any cattle on the Tuesday morning. He had been home on the days : in question, as he was engaged in repairing a motor-car. Mr D. G. McMillan, the next witness, said he was the agent of the N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Co., and had ' charge of the saleyards. Mrs Martin had bought, through her employee, Nicholson, a very young calf which had come into the yard with the cow. The cow remained in the yard until nearly mid-day on Tuesday. The calf was iwith her until she was taken away by Vuglar on the Tuesday. The calf was there on Wednesday. After the stock inspector had rung a little after 7.30 on that day witness said he had killed the calf. Like every calf, it bleated. It was too young to travel and it would have been cruelty to put it on the road. On the Tuesday night he had received instructions from Mrs Martin to see what he could do with the calf, and he had endeavoured to sell it to a calf-buying firm without success. In answer to Mr Carden Mr McMillan said the calf was • with the mother at the time she was taken away. The calf had had as much as it could drink, and the mother was then milked dry preparatory to taking * the road. That was on Tuesday at mid-day. A calf generally bleated the moment it was taken from its mother'. He spoke from experience gained through farming all his life. t A good feed would last 24 hours. As a general rule it was not attempted to feed a calf artificially until 24 hours had elapsed, and they v.ould not, as a rule, suck earlier after separation from the cow. He had seen calves go . two or three days without food of ? their own accord and come to no harm. The company he represented undertook to move and deliver cattle, but took no. responsibility. No suffering had been caused to the calf in question, only to the people who heard it. It was certainly a most melancholy bleat. Vuglar was a servant of the company as a drover. He had driven P the cows to Ngatea under witness’ instructions. Vuglar had no instructions about the calf. He (witness) had taken it away and placed it in a . pen, and Vuglar had nothing to do with it. Sergeant Calwell said that both accused had made statements to the police which had been taken down. Reading from Vuglar’s statement, the sergeant said Vuglar stated that he had driven from Paeroa to Ngatea. the calf had been left in the saleyard and the owner was to make arrangements for its removal. As a drover he was not responsible for leaving stock in the yard. Nicholson’s statement was somewhat similar. The Judgment. The magistrate, in handing down his decision, said the calf had been thoroughly well fed at mid-day on the Tuesday. Between then and the time it was killed it suffered no cruelty, although undoubtedly its bleating caused distress to anyone near. As there was therefore no charge, the accused would be dismissed.