LOOK OUT FOR THE RANGER.

Shannon News, 2 June 1924, Page 2

LOOK OUT FOR THE RANGER.

(To the Editor.) . sir,—Will you please allow me space in ■ your paper to bring before the general public of Shannon and district tlie way some of tlie citizens or Shannon are being persecuted by the Borough Council, viz., by the way. they are getting fined for having” cattle straying on the roads at Shannon. It may look at first as if the word “persecuted” is too strong, but if ypu will bear with me 1 will endeavour to show' that it is hardly strong enough. In tlie hist pljice tlie people of Shannon are no worse or negligent in the matter of allowing stock to stray on tlie roads than are the people of Levin, Foxton or other towns of file same size. A ranger is employed by tlie Borough Council and he puts all straying cattle he can find in the pound, and rightly so, but the matter does not. end there for the same persons are then summoned and fined .heavily, in some oases as much 'as £lO, arid all this .after having already paid the impounding fees.

I can give the case .of a man, a hard-working man at tlha|t. He was sick in bed and so were his wife and family and of course his solitary cow was found in a lonely unfrequented street by a zealous ranger, and tills poor unfortunate but honest man was hauled before the Court and fined over £7 for this trivial offence. Well, sir, the councillors were well aware of tlie circumstances of this particular case, but they, took no action and the man had to- find the money or go to gaol.'

Now I can give another case in which the Council did #i.ko action and made restitution also when appealed to hy the person fined though he could well have paid the small amount. If this is true then I would like to hear the explanation ol’ the Mayor and councillors as to ' why the distinction Was made between these two oases.. I would- also like to hear their reason lor charging poundage fees and then, prosecuting people again for the same offence and thus getting them ' to pay twice for the same thjng. Is this British justice pr is it only done in Shannon?

I would like to., suggest to the Mayor and councillors of Shannon that , they use a little discretion in this ’ matter and use a. little commorisepse similar to what is done in Foxton, Levin, Otaki and lather towns and not make a laughing stock -of us people in Shannon in this matter. F pever see in the paper where any person in Foxton. Levin or elsewhere is fined £lO for having his old co\v stray on thei road. I understand the ranger dedls with that matter and everyone is not. hauled before the* magistrate as if it were a criminal offence. I am sure the magistrate must think it is the general practice to turn cattle on the roacl here which is not the case. I would also like to suggest that one or more of the councillors travel about to other towns or villages the size of Shannon arid see how the matter of straying stock is dealt with or how they get on. ! or do they penalise people more than once for the same offence, I am sure they would learn much to their advantage and also to us, the much prosecuted and long-suffering owners ,of Daisy or Strawberry. Hoping I am not, taking up too much space in your paper.— I am, etc., DIOGENES.