CRUELTY AGAIN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81918, 28 February 1907, Page 2

CRUELTY AGAIN.

To the Editor

Sir 4 —-The way of the reformer may be hard, and it may also be soft, ;so soft that he gets bogged. The sensible and logical remarks 011 cruelty to animals which recently appeared in your columns must have appealed to all who understand animals and depend 011 the management and breeding of them for their livelihood. In Mr Cowie's iirst appeal be clearly stated one of the objects of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was the "protection" of dairy cows, presumably from 'the hands or feet of the cruel farmer. Now he leads us to suppose it also intends protecting the farmers—and how? By saving them—poor, biind, senseless noodles—from purchasing animals ''maimed 111warly and outwardly!!" This Society is indeed wanted badly. A dairy farmer must be cruel to animals if he is 1 going to live. J. have myself been in; the luilrit 'oi practising the;' severest form of cruelty that it is possible to inllict on any animal, compared with which such small matters as kicks, sawing oil' of horns, castration, etc., are mere llca-bites. As I consider it pay*' to indict this cruelty .011 any; animals 1 shall continue doing so and challenge any reformer or the Cruelty Society to prevent me. If this • Society would conline itself to such praiseworthy objects as freeing caged birds and the succoring of dyspeptic pet poodles it might receive some support from a sympathetic public with the aid of an inspector, secretary, country agent, etc., but when it proposed to take under its wing all dumb animals, protect cows from fanners and (farmers from cows of farmers, to assist auctioneers and help the police to maintain peace and order—well, a 5s sub. is going to be all too little even supposing all the farmers in Taranaki needing nothing do "ante up."—l am, etc.; W. STEPHENSON,