Correspondence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VI, Issue 410, 8 October 1856, Page 8

Correspondence.

To tlie Editor of the " Lytteltmi Times.1" Sib.—l see in a late number of your Paper, that a person who appears to have got a lot of scabby sheep, and thinks he cannot cure them, expects to get the penalty on the possession of such stock repealed. He argues that it ought to be quite sufficient if he has' tried to clean liis sheep. It may be useful if we see what is thought of this in Australia, where many more able men than we possess have dealt with the matter, and where their experiencejs immensely greater than our own. Do they allow a man to keep scabby sheep and merely pretend to try to cure them ? ISfo, sir; so ruinous do they know the spread of this disease to be, and so absolutely necessary to take the strongest measures for its extermination, that according to a recent act in N. S. Wales, every scabby sheep found in that colony must immediately be destroyed ; and if the owner of "any sheep destroyed in this way haye not actually informed against himself, he is allowed no compensation whatever for iheir loss. This law was not made in a hurry, or without due consideration, but upon th»report of a committee composed to a great extent of practical stock-owners. After many other remedies had been tried, they arrived at the conclusion that it was indispensable, at whatever cost, to eradicate this pest, root and branch. Surely this lesson ought not to be thrown away upon us. The present scab law has done much good, and prevented much evil, nnd, if any change is made in it, it ought certainly not to be in' the way of lessening the protection now afforded to the owners of <-'can shwn. It is worth while considering whether, if the present ordinance is not found sufficient to eradicate the scab.it may not be TJ^easnryto adopt morestringenC measures. We shall have to do it eve ntually. Your obedient Servant Osu who has uav Scabby Sheep AND CUBED THEM. 2nd October. 1856.