SOUTH AUCKLAND CATTLE BOARD.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1221, 27 April 1880, Page 2

SOUTH AUCKLAND CATTLE BOARD.

The weekly meeting of the Board was held at the Farmers' Club, Cambridge, on. Saturday, tbe following- members being present : — Messrs. E. Maclean (chairman), A. A. Fantham, C. J. Storey, and H. Buttle. Mr Naden, M.K.C.V.S.L., and Inspector Runeiinan were in attendancs. The following gentlemen attended as visitors : — Messrs. R. H. D Fergusson, B. Reynolds, H. Steele, Gr. E. Clarke, "W. Reynolds, Calander, Dougherty, Watt, Caraachan, Booth, and Pilling. Before proceeding 1 with the business of the meeting. The Chairman wished to make a personal explanation. He had seen it stated iv the Waikato Times, signed " Stockowner, " that his firm had sent some 200 head of store cattle to Auckland to be spread all over the country, without first having isolated them for at least a month Such a statement was a direct violation of the truth, as his firm had never sent any stoic cattle to Auckland. The cattle referred to were fat, and had been carefully examined by a veterinary surgeon, and members of the Board. There wa& another letter, signed " Sam Steele,'' in which the writer accused him of behaving discorteously to a gentleman who had attended the last meeting for the purpose of giving his experience on the -übject of inoculation. The meeting was not called for the public dibcus>ion of inoculation, and he only allowed Mr Wheeler to go on out of courtesy to a stranger He asked him to sit down only when Mr Fantham rose to a point of order, but no one had a right to say that he had been guilty of any want of courtesy. Such statements as he had referred to were grossly unfair. He was sorry to notice that Mr Leslie in a letter in that mornings paper had repeated the unfounded charge made by "Sam Steele." He wished it to be known that stockowners were invited to the meetings of the Board simply to offer any suggestions and not for the purpose of discu&sing general questions. Mr H. Reynolds wished to know how it was that at a former meeting Mr Fantham was allowed to speak in opposition to inoculation, while Mr Wheeler had been refused a hearing on the other side ? The Chairman said if Mr Fantham had discussed the subject it was an oversight, because the Board had merely to carry out the provisions of the Act, and were not appointed to discover the best method of treating disease. Their duty was to stamp it out. Mr Fantharn explained that at the meeting referred to by Mr Reynolds, the Board had not decided upon a course of action, and it was open to members to speak on the subject generally. Ihe Board had now decided upon what course they should pursue, and all argument was consequently stopped. MrR. H. 1). Fergusson said it appeared to him that Mr Sam Steele did his best at the previous meeting to make a row, and to hound the man with one cow against the man with a hundred. He thought such conduct very ill-placed. The minut?s of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. Messrs Michie andNaden,M.R.C.V.S.L., handed in their reports, the substance of which has already been published in these columns. A letter was retd from Captain Steele, resigning his position as a member of the Board. Inspectors Runciman and Gerse reported that they had seen a cow, the property of Mr Booth, reported to be diseased; but, although the animal was evidently in bad health, the symptom^ did

not appear to be those of pleuro-pneu-monia. The cow was kept strictly isolated, nnd would be again inspected. Regarding the letter from Captain Steelo, Mr Buttle was of opin'on that as he had been appointed to the Board by v'rtue of his office as chairman of the Waikato County Council he could not resign the one position without vacating 1 the other. Mr Storey could not agree with Mr Buttle. The name in the Gazette was " William Steele, 1 ' and no mention was made of the chairman of the County Council. The Chairman and Mr Fantham agreed with the view taken of the matter by Mr Storey, and Mr Fantbam moved — That the Government be telegraphed to, stating that the Board had accepted Captain Steele's resignation. A letter from the Colonial Secretary was read as follows : — In consequence ot the outbreak of pleuropneumonia amongst cattle imported into Auckland irom New South Wales, in December and list, and which were accompanied y clean certificates from the piopcr authorities in th.it colony, applications have been made to the Government to prohibit the importation ot any cattle trom the Australian Colonies. Before taking this step the Government desire to obtain an expression of opinion on the subject from the various C.itfle Boards, and I should therefore feel obliged if you would bring the matter under the notice of your Board, and communicate to me .ia e.nly as convenient their opinion as to the advisability of prohibiting for the present the importation of stock from those colonies. It was resv)lved to recommend the Government to stop the importation. On the motion of Mr F.mrham it was agreed that the three inspectors should have mc following districts assigned to them respectively : — Mr JNailcM, Cambridge ; Mr i'unciman, Hamilton; Mr Geise, Te Awamutu (including Wuip'i). In auvswer to Mr Fantham, Inspecter Kunciman said steps were being taken to proceed against all persons liable for fees and penalties under the Act, and that he intended to apply to the ••Jovemmentfor legal assistance, as he did not feel competent to deal with many important points which would be raised by the actions. Mr H. Reynolds applied on behalf of the Swamp Company, for permission to remove about 70 h^ad of c.ittle from Woodlands to Eureka. They had been pronounced clean, and he would see that every precaution was taken to keep them from contact with other beasts. Mr Fan •■ham objected to alluAving any inoculated beasts to be driven along the public roads. Mr Reynolds said that although Mr Fantham did not bel'eve in iuDoulation, there wei*e numbers of persons of large experience who did. Mr Storey was sorry to tell Mr Reynolds that iuoculation had failed in Mr Burkes case. The Chairman intimated to Mr Reynolds that his application would be considered. After some discussion regarding the manner in which the Board's resolution to slaughter diseased cattle had been carried out, the result being that the course adopted by the veterinary surgeon was (•atisfaftory, Mr H. Steele drew the attention of the Board to the fact that by the resignation of one of the members the northern portion of the district was left unrepresented. He hoped they would soe their way to elect a gentleman from Hamilton. Respecting the distribution of inspectors, he hoped Mr Rnnciman would still have the assistance of Mr Naden at Hamilton, for although the former gentleman might do very well two heads were always better than one. Regarding the charges brought against the Swamp Company, they would be answered in another place ; but from the result of the examination of Mr MdNicol's and Mr Fumney's cattle he was happy to state thit so far as was at present known the company had injured no one. The Chairman said he presumed the 3oard would take its own course, and the visitors then retired. It was resolved unanimously that the application of the Swamp Company to remove cattle be refused. The Chairman reported that Mr Reynolds had informed him that the total number of cattle lost by the company since the disease was reported was 40. Of this number 15 had died, \b had been shot by his orders, and 10 had been killed by order of the Board. He had intimated to Mr Reynolds that every bad case would be destroyed. On the motion of Mr Storey it was resolved to allow the settlers of Alexandra to run their cows within the town boundary, the district not yet being infected. Mr Runciraan reported that pleuro was said to exist on a farm in the Waitoa dibtrict, and it was resolved that he should proceed thither on Monday (yesterday) . On the motion of the Chairman, it was resolved to recommend the Government to appoint Mr Robert Fergusson, chairman of the Piako County Council, to t v ie vacant seat on the Board. .Some farther business of an unimportant nature having been disposed of, the Board adjourned till Saturday next.