DECREASE IN STRAY STOCK ON ROADS

Taupo Times, Volume IV, Issue 192, 30 September 1955, Page 1

DECREASE IN STRAY STOCK ON ROADS

"Where Is That Wandering Horse Tonight?" Loeal residents and travellers passing through Taupo County and J Borough recently have noted a marble ed decrease in the number of wander- | ing stock on "the roads. It is seldom | now that a horse is seen wandering in the Borough and residents are ■ enjoying the fact that they do not • have to shut the front gate every |time they go down the street. I In the County it was the usual l thing to see 20 or 30, sometimes even ' 40 or 50, head of stock between f Taupo and Tokaanu any night of the ' week, but now it is unusual tcsee rmore than 3 or 4 horses or cattle ; along the same length of road. [ This satisfactory change has reSsulted from the fact that two months i ago the Borough and County joined [ in appointing an industrious Ranger, |Mr N; F. Coster, formally of Te ! Awamutu. But exactly where all the , stock has gone is rather a conunUrum. Some horses have been round- \ ed up voluntarily by some Maori owners and sold out of the district. | Letters threatening prosecution have induced some owners to fix their ; fences, although many owners have . done this willingly when approached l by the Ranger, their co-operation re|flecting credit on them and contribut- ; ing to the success of the campaign. k An interesting incident in connecI tion with the campaign was the Uppearance on the State Highway, in | the Turangi area and a little north1 ward, of a truck whose operators [were reported to have rounded up . odd straying horses, put them on the | truck and taken them off to parts flunknown. When questioned the Idriver ijs alleged to have given the Ijimpression that the operation was J being done for the County authorities. The County Office, however, has Idisclaimed any connection with or I responsibility for this enterprise. The I truck has not been seen for some rtime. I Asked to comment on the present 1 situation, the County Commissioner, I Mr A. H. O'Keefe, said that he was I by no means sure that the present I improvement could be maintained in- ■ definitely unless the new Impounding rAct were passed by Parliament this iyear. The proposed legislation gave Ilocal bodies much wider powers,-in-jcluding the power to shoot stock in [certain circurhstances, and greatly iincreased pound and sustenance fees. After the new act is in force it f would be a pretty expensive business I having a horse or cow in the Pound. Iln preparation for administration of p the expected new legislation, the ■County Office had soberly purchased ■& new .303 rifle. ■ The Borough and the County were I equally determined that, before the Bbusy summer season commenced, the ■wandering stock problem must be ■under control. 1 Now that the days of stock ■wandering on the roads with im■punity were numbered, owners would ■ do well to get in first by making sure ■that their horses and cattle were kept ■inside secure fences from now onBwards.