ON SHOOTING JAUNT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 753, 28 August 1929, Page 11

ON SHOOTING JAUNT

PARTY appears in COURT DISTURBED FARMERS’ GOATS (From Our Own Correspondent) PAPAKURA, Today. A party ot live Aucklanders, F. S. StroWS. *'■ J - Cleave, G. Howiett, H. B. Joyce anil K. Miller, who went shootpg near Clevedon on a recent Sunday, •npeared before Messrs. J. Beams .jut John McCall, Justices of the veace, at Papakura Court this morume charged with being found without uwt'ul excuse on the farm of Charles Giliard, and witli disturbing stock contrary to the Stock Act Amendment, I- 1 -** ... , giliard deposed that aoout 7.30 _ ha was informed that a shooting oart y was on his property. While jjis go n went to summon them he telephoned a neighbour, Olga £>ram. ,o come over. He went down to his Aeepyards where the party had left Jje cal". The members of the party came down, and he asked did they Wo w that they were trespassing. They replied "No.” He said had tliey no t seen the notice “trespassers will go prosecuted.” They again said ..jjo. ’ He found the notice torn off t De post and in the ditch some yards It was on the post the pretious night. The party had fifteen rabbits. Witness agreed to their taking the carcases if they left the skins. This they did. They declined to give their names, saying that he could take the number of the car. Shooting parties disturbed the joats, which used to keep the blackDcrrv down, said w'itness. There were about 300 on the property and some were frightened over two fences, by ibis party, into a neighbour’s place, where some still remained. Members of the party deposed that they had been visiting the property ‘or several years past with the permission of the stock inspector, who welcomed shooting parties as one means of keeping the rabbits down. The country was steep and they saw no goats except on the top of the ridge j mile distant. For defendants. Mr. J. F. W. Dickson argued that it was stretching the Intention of the Police Offences Act to charge defendants with being unlawfully on property. This was found in the section dealing with rogues and vagabonds and was not appropriate in this case. As to disturbing the •oats. Giliard admitted that he permitted boys living on the farm to shoot. v

Counsel suggested that the court dismiss the case as trifling. The justices decided to dismiss the barges on the payment of costs, £4 18s 6d.