358 



Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 June, 1916. 



Appeals. 



The number of appeals lodged against rejection by Government 

 officers was five, three being on the question of disapproval and two as 

 regards unsoundness. The boards appointed to deal wtih these cases 

 upheld the action of the veterinary officers in four of the cases, and 

 recommended the issue of a certificate in the fifth. 



Legal Proceedings. 



A case of more than usual interest to stallion owners occupied the 

 attention of the Courts during the season. A stallion owner, being 

 charged at the Lancefield Court with having forged a paper, purporting 

 to be a certificate of soundness and approval, issued to a draught 

 stallion, defendant was committed for trial. The following extract from 

 the Australasian of 19th February, 1916, reports the interesting features 

 of the case : — " The trial in Melbourne last week of a horse owner on a 

 charge of forgery is of particular interest to farmers. As far back as 

 1907 a Government certificate of soundness was obtained for a horse, 

 which has since died. The owner of the certificate subsequently made 

 extensive alterations to it, which covered the name, place of parade, 

 and date on which the certificate was issued, and thus purported to apply 

 to another horse. The defendant pleaded guilty, and was bound over 

 to come up for sentence when called upon. Inasmuch as these certifi- 

 cates of soundness are intended primarily to safeguard the interests of 

 owners of mares, the detection of the forgery will serve to give a feeling 

 of greater security, and furthermore a knowledge that conviction of an 

 offence of this kind is in future likely to be punished by fine or im- 

 prisonment, or both, to any amount or extent, may serve to prevent 

 any repetition of the offence." 



