FARMER FINED £2O.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3673, 2 August 1927, Page 2

FARMER FINED £2O.

FOR CRUELTY TO CATTLE. ' Wellington, August 1. In the Magistrate’s Court today, Samuel Parsons, a farmer, of Kairanga, was charged with illtreating five cows and one bullock by driving on permitting them to be driven, from Kairanga to Longburn while in an unfit state, and, also with causing these animals to be conveyed from Longburn to Ngahauranga in a manner causing unnecessary suffering. The inspector for the S.P.C.A. said the animals’ hoofs had apparently rotted off, leaving the stumps raw and inflamed. Witness thought the trouble was due to fescue grass getting into the clefts of the feet and setting up poisoning. If treatled in time they could be saved. The head drover at the meat works said that when the animals arrived they were quite unfit to be driven any distance and were killed as quickly as possible to put them out of their misery. Counsel for defendant said foot trouble from fescue had been prevalent in the Kairanga district. Some of Parsons’ cattle had been destroyed, but these six had recovered, though they had lost their hoofs. They were sold as “boners” and Parsons took three days to drive them from Kairanga to Longburn, making special pads for their feet. Defendant in evidence said the bad feet were in every case calloused over before the animals were driven, and the pads adequately protected their feet. He had done all that was possible to conserve the! beasts’ condition. Two neighbours testified that cattle in the condition these were could be fattened, and said Parsons had not shown any cruelty. A farmer had to get all he could out of hisfarm to make ends meet. The Magistrate said that' even though Parsons had bound up the feet his action in driving the animals eight miles was unnecessary and unreasonable. A fine of £2O was imposed.