S.P.C.A.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 114, 7 October 1914, Page 2

S.P.C.A.

TARANAKI BRANCH. ANNUAL KEPOKT. Tlui annual meeting of tlic local branch of tile above Society was convened for last night at the Town Hall, anil his Worship the Mayor was to have 'presided, but as there "were so few present the meeting was adjourned until October 23. The Mayor stated that the .Rev. A. ir. Cclvile, who had intended preaching; a s|.u"(.l sermon on' the subject of the work of the Society, had 'been under the impression that the animal meeting would he held towards the close of the month, and as it was hoped that an address from the pulpit would arouse some enthusiasm for the cause, it would, the» vMuyor considered, lie advisable to postpone the meeting until afier Mr. Colvile had spoken on the subject. The-annual report is as follows:-

The operations of the society for the past year have shown the necessity for its existence, as 77 eases have actually been dealt with, and in addition a large number of complaints have been nequired into. Our endeavour always has been to prevent cruelty by inquiring into every complaint made, whether anonymous or not, and by trying to stimulate a better feeling towards dumb animals in those whose duty it is to have charge of them. We are glad to report that owners of cab and express horses arc on our side; they recognise that cruelty by their employees to horses under their charge detracts from the value of the horse and prevents its doing a fair day's work. We have found that if a personal warning by our inspector does not prevent a driver working a lame or galled horse, a letter from the hon. secretary has the necessary effect, as disregard of this -would be followed by a prosecution. We have taken two cases only to the S.M. Courts this year; one we won with costs, the other was dismissed with out coßts on the ground that trie galled shoulder might have been an accident of the day through a faulty collar. Of the 77 cases dealt with by the inspector, 15 were for working lame horses. 16 for driving unshod horses on metalled road, 8 for working ■horses suffering froju galled and raw shoulders or sides, !) for riding or driving horses with girth galls, 1 of horse suffering from a broken leg, 1 of horse having a galled wither, 2 of horses fast in barbed wire, 4 of cruelty in drafting cattle in sale yards, 1 of roughly handling pigs in sale-yards, 3 of cruo'ly whipping horses in. food! carts, 1 of cruelty to working bullocks, 2 of cattle having horns broken in sale-yards, 3 of cruelty to dogs, 4 of cruelty to sheep in railway trucks or in yards, 2 of cattle starved in paddocks, 14 of cruelty to poultry by carrying them to sale-rooms in sacks or by their tied legs, and 1 for slitting a calf's ears. By the courtesy of the Railway Department our inspector has a free pass on the New Plymouth to Waitara and to Hawera railways. He is thus enabled to attend cattle and horse sales at all centres between those towns, and to warn offenders against unnecessary cruelty.

We are satisfied that our society has done, and is doing, good work in the interest of dumb animals, and we trust the public will not permit it to tail for the want of the small support which is needed, and for which we ask. As regards finance, we commenced our year (September 1. 1013), witlii a credit balance in New Plymouth Savings Bank of £lO lis lid, interest and subscriptions amounted to £3B 2s—a total of £4B life lid. Our expenses were: Inspector's salary £3O, advertising £1 10s, accident insurance. 10s>, rent 4s. stationery £1 Is, credit balance New Plymouth Savings Bank on August 31, 1914, £9 8a lid. We desire to thank Messrs Weston and Weston for acting as our honorary solicitors for the past year, his Worship the Mayor for permitting us to use his loom in which to hold our monthly committee meetings, the press for publishing reports of our meetings and otlwr favors, and those ladies and gentlemen who by subscriptions and donations have enabled the society to continue. The meeting will be called upon to elect a vice-president, a committee of not exceeding ten members (six men am] four ladies), an hon. treasurer, lion, see retary, and hon. auditor.