TAPPING ELECTRIC WIRES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 2985, 12 January 1926, Page 3

TAPPING ELECTRIC WIRES.

punishable offence,

In an apparently jocular vein wide publicity was recently given to a story told at a power board’s meeting of a farmer who cured a fence-breaking cow by electrifying a wire on the fence, with the result that “the cow was speedily cured of her efforts to escape.” If such a thing were ever attempted with the hydro-electric current, the joke would probably end 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 that occurred (to man and beasl) through an accidently elecliilicd fence in the Waikato.

As to the “escape cure,” the Hydro-Electric 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 against 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 been similarly unfortunate. And a 230-volt leakage hos been known to kill a man.

The Hydro-Electric Branch desires to overtake the story of .the fence-breaking cow —whether joke or otherwise —with a stern warning to all people not to tap electric currents in any way. 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. —-Dominion.