EAST COAST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 915, 2 November 1881, Page 1 (Supplement)

EAST COAST.

[FROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESI'ONDKNT.] Shearing operations are nearly over im« on most of the Coast runs, m m;,in stations the clip is rather light. Th's m.ij be owinsj to the dry season hist ye;cr which causttl the winter's feed to he've j short on some properties. Sheep come quently got in low condition, ami hence the _ results as above stated. On sonit stations the lambing is not very good ; a lew cold wet days in >ep ember tie strayed many. On all the infected run tiiey are dipping off the shears. 'I he sheep inspectors (two of them) are making "flying visits'' all over this subdivision. The inspector from the Napier County (Inspector Munro) has been atthelToii W. W. Johnstone's Mataiku in sta ion nearly all through the shtainig, although the manager ha, held a clean certificate for this sts-ion lor tho last seven mumlis. and is well known to be one of the mos; prudent and energetic men on the Coast, and all the sheep have come in clean up to date. To all adjoining settlers tin, arrangement seems a most extraordinitn one, as there are prnperlLs in the di-trici that have been scabby fir some consideiable time, and all through the shearm. the inspector has only made a 11. nj: visit Under the present Sheep A't there are few men who would \a guilty of wilful neglect. Instead 0: placing an officer on any pro] 6 'ty <lu mg shearing without any responsibility or any right to interfere, would it not be far better it the authorities thought any sheep owner was negligent or mismanaged h,s sheep, to take proceedings tinier the BSnl section of the Sheep Act, when ike evi. effects of negligence or mismanagement might bo a' once prevented i Umbr the system beng at present tried what is the result? An unfortunale settler fined possibly in damages to the extent of thousands of pounds; Lut, like " Meg Ootids" recipe for making have soup, first catch the hare. So the neighbor who may suffer damage has first lo prove bis case before lie can recover anything for loss suffered. Only those who ii ive boon filieopowners in a' scabby dislrict know how difficult a matter it is to du so nine times out often