The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 977, 26 September 1878, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever state or persuatnon, religion* or political. «•♦*** Here shall the. Press the People's right • . maintain, .' I *", ■ < , Unawed by i»£fhv9ncfi and' iinbribed by gain. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1878. At the request of several persons we have published m full the evidence taken m the late dog shooting case, heard by Judge Fentou, m the District Court, on Thursday laat, m which judgment has been reserved until next Court day. The law iv relation to the destruction of dogs when trespassing on farms where sheep are kept is of very general interest to Waikuto settlers. As m most cases, there are two sides to the question. The sheep farmer naturally complains that if he cannot use a wide discretion m destroying dogs upon his farm, it is useless for him to attempt the breed, ing of sheep with profit. It is all very well for the owners of dogs to declare that their dogs are so virtuously disposed, that they would not lay a tooth upon a sheep (and the greatest criminals m the sheep worrying line, are generally those m whose praise their owners speak the loudest), but, a dog, though he 'may never touch a sheep may, especially m the lambing season, do an immense amount of injury to a flock by hunting them up. and frightening them by nigbt. On the other hand, the advocates of the dogs say, each one of course believing that his own- dog is the incarnation of innocence, that without dogs to work their sheep and cattle they would be put to serious inconvenience and loss. In a recent case the owner of a dog that was poisoned, stated m Court, that the services of a good dog were of larger money value to him tuan those of a man. We are not therefore surprised to find the legislatnre making repeated efforts to grapple with thi»s difficulty, and the Hon. Mr Whitmore has introduced into the Upper House a Bill entitled the Registration of Dogs Act, which definitely lays down the law upon this matter. The measure i.s a stringent one, and indeed a striugent one is needed, for the destruction of sheep by dogs has grown m other districts as m this to interfere very greatly with the profitable occupation of the flockmaster, and has become a soui-ce of great anxiety 10 oiany, The compulsory registration ol all dogs is provided for, and placed m the hands of the counties., so that ownership may be easily proved, every clog being re- ;

' quire 1 to wear a collar with a numbered label. The list of persons registering dogs is to be open for public inspection, showing the numb^|ss|&(;he label worn by each per sfon^rregisteveil dog. A penalty of not more than £?>, with destruction of the dcijk may be enforced upon tho o winer wfiere tho dog shall, m nny pupjiicpWci^oronany private property (even thejpromises of tho owner), rush JajpSnd frighten any person, or aff&W," or attack and bite, any person, or rush at, attack or startle any horse or animal whereby the life or limbs of any person may be endangered, and any person may kill a dog attacking either persons' cattle, sheep, or poultry, unless the dog is under the immediate control of the owner, or some one m his I behalf i .Dogs running at la.rge amongst sheep* or cattle may " be killed by the owner of such cattle, his agent, or servants, unless the dog is at the time In the immediate following of its owner, and, whenever ■ a dog has become liable to be des- [ troyed by reason of any mischievous or dangerous propensity, such dog may be pursued and 'destroyed at any time, and wherever it may be caught; and no person shall be liable for trespass by reason of pursuing any such dog, but shall be liable for any wilful damage done m such pursuit. Every person is made liable for injury done by his dog, and mischievous propensity m tho dog need not be proved. The measure proposes to lepeal several Acts, of the colonial legislature and Provincial Councils. The measnre would thus fully meet the requirements of the flockmaster. A dog among 'cattle, if 1 m the immediate following of his owner could not be destroyed, but then the owner would be at once identified and responsible. The generality of cases where sheep owners suffer, is from night attacks by dogs, and the owner of such dogs deserve, no sympathy. Theii^ dogs have no right to"., lie at largo; by night, and if they were as valuable a« their owners, when they are destroyed, profess to. believe them to have been, their safety wonld be better cared for by keeping them on the chain or locked up at night, or, for the matter of that, by day also when not under immediate control. It is utterly impossible for the ni-st important industry of sheep breeding to be profitably carried on m thickly settled districts, where such a license is enjoyed by dogs as has hitherto been the case.