COWS POISONED

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 387, 22 June 1928, Page 13

COWS POISONED

FARMER’S FAILURE VENTURE IN WESTLAND Ragwort which poisoned his cows and lack of finance seemed reasons for the failure of Edward George Hunter, of Dignan Road, Point Chevalier, a meeting of whose creditors was called to-day. The financial statement showed a deficiency of £383 12s 7d, which sum was owing to unsecured creditors. Hunter in his statement said that after the war he started in partnership with .1. D. Watson and Christensen in November, 1920, the firm taking over a returned soldier’s farm at Ngahere, 18 miles from Greymouth, Westland. He paid in £350. of which he had borrowed £l5O from his widowed mother. The first season only 18 cows were milked, on account of the best lar.d being overrun with ragwort. Watson and Christensen were each to pay in £350, but they could not raise the money. Several cows died of ragwort poisoning, and the others hardly paid for milking. Butter-fat slumped to 9d a lb in 1821, and the partners did bush work. After getting £6O worth of white pine ready for the mill It closed down and the timber rotted. Christensen ‘‘pulled out” in February, 1922, and Watson in December. Bankrupt carried on until October. 1323, and then worked for wages at timber work. Coming to Auckland he had managed to obtain only casual employment. He was in indifferent health owing to having been gassed. Questioned by the official assignee. Mr. G. N. Morris, bankrupt said that he had filed because a warrant was out against him. He was not working and had no employment in view. “Well, you're a single man and you ought to see if you can pay somehting,” said Mr. Morris. Bankrupt agreed to try to pay a part of his debts before he received his discharge.