PREVENTION OF CRUELTY

Otago Witness, Issue 4028, 26 May 1931, Page 11

PREVENTION OF CRUELTY

MEETING OF OTAGO SOCIETY. A meeting of the Otago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was held on Tuesday afternoon, the president (Mr Crosby Morris) presiding over a good attendance of members. The chairman reported that the large number of applicants for the position of inspector to the society had been reduced to 12, who would come before a special meeting of the committee on Thursday evening. The Rev. W. Saunders reported that he had communicated with the Dunedin Headmasters’ Association with a view to taking steps to bring the work of the society before the school children.—The secretary read a letter from the association which stated that despite the fact that their sympathies were with the society’s objects, the schools’ time was already fully occupied with other movements, and also that the association did not encourage propaganda, no matter how worthy the object. It was therefore considered that little could be achieved if a deputation from 'the society waited on the association.—The Rev. Mr Saunders said that he could not understand the statement that the association did not encourage propaganda, as the society desired merely to inculcate a love of animals in the children, to which, surely, no objection could be taken.—lt was de-' cided that the Headmasters’ Association’s letter be acknowledged, and regret expressed at the stand taken by the association.

The chairman stated that a complaint had been received from Middlemarch to the effect that sheep and pigs had been railed to Dunedin in the same truck. The station master at Middlemarch had been communicated with, and had replied that 50 sheep and 5 pigs had been sent to Dunedin in one truck, but that the pigs had been fenced off from the sheep by a stout wire-netting partition. The Sale Yards Company had also advised that although pigs occasionally arrived at the yards in the same compartment as sheep, there was no evidence of damage having been done to the sheep.—lt was decided to ask the Railways Department to take steps to see that consignees erect efficient barriers in trucks where sheep and pigs were being transported together. A letter was received from Sir Charles Statham advising that the Minister of Internal Affairs had announced that owing to the present financial position of the Government, the application for a free railway pass for the society’s inspector could not be granted.—During the course of a discussion it was suggested that the difficulty might be overcome if the society purchased a motor car, but the question was held over pending a n investigation by the chairman and the secretary. RETIRING INSPECTOR. The work of the society’s inspector (Mr J. Craig), who is retiring at the end of the month, was made the subject of eulogistic reference by the chairman, who expressed extreme satisfaction with the way in which Mr Craig had worked for the society during the past 21 years. He regretted that Mr Craig had found it necessary to retire, and also that he was leaving Dunedin for Sydney. .The chairman concluded by hoping that Mr Craig would be happy in his future sphere of activities. It was decided to grant Mr Craig two mouths’ salary qt the expiry of his term as inspector.