UNFENCED LINES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3057, 18 February 1892, Page 3

UNFENCED LINES.

TO THE EDITOR. Siß,—Would you kindly allow me a small space in your valuable paper that I might have an opportunity of inserting a grievance which ia of a gross nature, namely, tha railway line running in a semi-circular manner around my farm and it being unfenced, which has caused me a great deal of trouble in keeping my cattle off the line and the train sometimes running through them and killing one or ■ two occasionally, making a slaughterhouse of the line. Tha last one it butchered was carried ten to fifteen chains along the line making a terrible mesa on the sleepers with blood and brains. Now, Sir, I hold an agreement or written statement given from Mr Stewart, who was the engineer for the Rotorua Railway Company at that time tho railway was in course of construction, to this effect: That Mr Stewart informed Mr McGlaalian and otliew that the railway line would be fenced if applied for when the land was under cultivation and fencfld down to the line. Now Sir, as I have complied with the above conditions, having spent a large amount of capital and labour in improving my farm in bringing it under cultivation and laying it down in grass I consider the Government ia entitled to fence the line. Having purchased the line from the company they are entitled to fulfil the conditions that were made through their servant (the engineer) at that time. I have written eight or ten times to the Commissioners petitioning them to fence the line running so inconveniently around my farm, and the only answer I can derive from them is, that they recognise no claim but legal ones. Now I consider the above is a legal claim and should not bo repudiated. lam really surprised that tourists and passengers an not frightened to ride on that piece of line running throuel land heavily stocked with cattle on both sides unprotected, wpee'ally as they are now rnnning a gigantic special train. T huve 110 means of knowing when it is comins only when I hear it whistle, or stock-driving the cattle along the line, then I hasten to give them a hand to keep the line clear for fear of loss of life or destruction to my cattle. Now, Sir, would you kindly recommend nur energetic Commissioners to fence this lino running through cultivated land ivnd heavily stocked with cattle and avoid any more wholesale butchery and gross cruelty to animals as have often been witnessed on thi3 piece of line. R. D. Starkkv. Wiilt&n, February 9th, 1892.