Important to Sheep Owners.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, 5 March 1891, Page 3

Important to Sheep Owners.

■ . ♦ NOTICE OP MUSTER A matter closely affecting the interests of every sheep owner in the colony, came before the Resident Magistrate at Ashburton last week. Mr W. G. Bees, stock inspector appeared to support an information that had been laid by Mr Adam •Tackson against Mr H. T. Shepherd, both being farmers at Ealing. The alleged offence was a breach of Section 66 of the Sheep Act, 1890. Mr Bees, in asking that a merely nominal penalty should be imposed, pointed out that the matter had been brought before the court as a test case and partly with the view of making the provisions of the Sheep Act, 1890, widely known as possible it being a matter of the greatest importance that all sheep owners should be made aware of the nacessity of giving their neighbours twenty-four g^hours notice of their intention to muster their flocks either for shearing, dipping or removing them oft the run or farm. The charge against Shepherd was that he had mustered his sheep at Ealing, and driven them to Tinwald saleyards and shorn them y there without first giving his neighbour Jackson (whose property bounds him for half a mile) due notice of his intention to muster. As a proteotion to sheep owners it was highly desirable that the provisions of the Aot should be enforced, and that the very widest publicity should be given to the matter. Section 66 of the Sheep Act 1890, read as follows : — "Every occupier of any run who shall muster his flock or flocks for either of the purposes of dipping or jelresssing, or cutting and tailing, or shearing, or removal from the run, shall, twenty-four hours at least, before yarding the same, give personal notice or notice by registered letter to the occupiers of all the adjoining runs of his intention so to yard the sheep. ' Bun ' means any sheep station, or adjoining sheep station or farm or adjoining farm or farms, or other land being under one management and managed from one homestead." The corresponding section in the Sheep Act, 1878, viz., section 67, differs from section 66 of the Sheep Aot, 1890, in one point only, but that is a most important one. It is thus worded — " Every ocoupier of any run exceeding 500 acres in extent, and not substantially fenced," &c. It is therefore very important that all sheep owners should be fully aware that the present Aot renders it imperative that they should give their neighbours due notice before mustering their flocks. Section 67 of the Sheep Act, 1890, also requires that all sheep be branded directly after shearing and before leaving the wool shed or drafting yards. — Weekly Press.