WANDERING STOCK

Taupo Times, Volume III, Issue 124, 11 June 1954, Page 4

WANDERING STOCK

FOR some considerable time the problem of horses wandering on the town roads has been a recurring one, and in recent years, with the growth of the town and the decrease of unfenced land, the nuisance has become intensified. The local authority has from time to time conducted campaigns, advertising its intention to impound straying aanimals and to prosecute owners, and the resulting periodic activities of the Borough pound-keeper have had some temporary effect. The matter has been emphasised this week by an accident involving a straying horse and a motor vehicle, resulting in injuries to a resident, and by a discussion at a Borough Council meeting, both reported in this issue of the "Times." There is no doubt that the redtape involved in dealing with impounded animals is urgently in need, of being removed, as stated by a councillor at the recent Borough meeting. The Hon. Sir William Bodkin stated at the recent Munieipal Conference that the Government would introduce amending legislation during the coming session, and it is to be hoped the matter is not allowed to drift on without such action. Meantime, in dealing with the local problem, the Council has found repeated difficulty in retaining the services of poundkeep-

ers. There is no doubt, however, that the time has come in the town's development when the nuisance of wandering animals on the roads should be taken to remove all such stock by proper legal means. And in this connection the presence of unregistered dogs on the streets may be mentioned as something that requires attention. A resident reported to the "Times" last week that he was compelled to escort his small daughter to school one morning, owing to her being frightened by a dog. Outside the school gates, just after nine a.m., he saw eight dogs, none wearing a registration collar. To deal with these matters is not easy, in view of the difficulty already mentioned of securing a poundkeeper. But it should be possible to do something. The Council might, for instance, be able to en~ gage a full-time employee who could combine other duties with those of pound-keeper and dog registration ofhcer, being paid a regular wage, plu& a commission on each animal dealt with. This would entail an increase in expenditure. But, as was maintained in a recent article in this column, improved amenities will not be obtained unless increased expenditure is faced up to. At this stage in Taupo's progress it is likely that its citizens would not object to the cost entailed in getting rid of the nuisance and danger of wandering stock.