XV] 



HUMANE EDUCATION THE LAW 



185 



715. The penal code of California re docking 

 horses reads : 



" The people of the State of California repre- 

 sented in Senate and Assembly do enact as 

 follows : It shall be unlawful for any person to 

 dock the tail of any horse or to procure the same 

 to be done, or to bring into the State any docked 

 horse, or to drive, work, use, race, or deal in any 

 docked horse that has not been registered in the 

 State. 



"Within thirty days after the passage of this 

 Act every owner or user of any docked horse 

 shall register it by filing in the office of the 

 County Clerk ; a certificate shall contain the 

 name of the owner, together with his address, 

 and a full description of the colour, age, size and 

 the use made of such docked horse. The County 

 Clerk shall number the certificates consecutively 

 and record the names in a register. He shall 

 receive a fee of 50c. for doing the same, where- 

 upon he shall issue the said person a certificate 

 containing the facts recited in this section, which 

 upon demand shall be exhibited to any Peace 

 Officer, and the same shall be conclusive evidence 

 of a compliance with the provisions of this code. 



"The driving, working, keeping, racing, or 

 using of any unregistered docked horse after 

 sixty days from the passage of this Act shall be 

 deemed prima facie evidence of the fact that the 

 party using such horse docked the tail of such 

 horse. 



"Any person violating the provisions of this 

 Act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanour, 

 provided, however, that the provisions of this 

 Act shall not be applied to persons owning any 

 docked pure-bred stallion or mare imported 

 from foreign countries for breeding or exhibition 

 purposes, as provided by Act of Congress, and 

 to docked native-bred animals brought in for the 

 same purpose, and provided, further, that the 

 description of each such animal so brought into 

 the State, together with the date of importation 

 and name and address of the importer, be filed 

 with the County Clerk of the county where such 

 animal is kept within thirty days of the importa- 

 tion." 



The penalty for committing an offence against 

 the above Act is up to two years' penal servitude. 



716. In Montreal a fine of $20 is imposed 

 upon the perpetrator of this breach of the law. 



The Massachusetts S.P.C.A. award the 

 following sums : A hundred dollars for evidence 

 to convict any perpetrator within a certain radius 

 of Massachusetts, and $25 for evidence to convict 

 anyone in the city itself of a violation of law 

 by causing any horse to be mutilated for life by 

 docking. At present the English law could 

 prosecute for the practice, because it is an offence 

 to mutilate any animal for the purpose of con- 

 forming to custom or fashion, but it does not 

 specify this particular practice. Many of the 

 other States of the Union have similar laws to 

 y 



that of California, and they see that these laws 

 are strictly enforced. 



717. King George V. accepted the honorary 

 first vice-presidency of the first American Inter- 

 national Humane Conference, held in Washing- 

 ton some few years ago. President Taft was 

 the honorary president, and opened the meeting 

 by an address. Dr. W. 0. Stillman is president 

 of this association. 



718. The Protection of Animals Act, 1911, has 

 some excellent sections. It has a wider control 

 than former Acts, and allows for more severe 

 punishment. It gives the court power to destroy 

 an animal or to deprive the owner of future 

 ownership. It has some important additions in 

 respect of the control of knackers, slaughter- 

 houses and pounds. It forbids the use of dogs 

 for draught in England. It causes all those who 

 set traps for hares or rabbits to inspect the same 

 every day between sunrise and sunset. It gives 

 far greater power to constables. The court can 

 direct the employer of the offender to produce 

 the said man at the hearing of the case. 



The following Bills will shortly be introduced 

 in the British House : the Anaesthetics Bill (see 

 Chapter XVI.), and a Bill to prohibit the docking 

 of horses. (See Sec. 695, Chapter XIII.) 



719. Mr. P. C. Laverton-Harris, of the 

 Toronto Humane Society, has prepared amend- 

 ments to the present British penal code. Some 

 of the important points brought out in this 

 amendment I introduced to the Minister of 

 Justice at Ottawa, and it is to be hoped that 

 before very long the penal code will be greatly 

 improved. 



The amendments provide that no one may 

 deprive an animal of necessary and proper food 

 or water for more than eight successive hours; 

 that no one may kill any animal in the sight of 

 any other animal awaiting slaughter ; that no 

 one may permit any animal to be carried in such 

 a position or manner as to cause it any unneces- 

 sary suffering ; that no one may perform any 

 operation that is not necessary through disease 

 or accident ; that everyone must provide proper, 

 efficient and sanitary stabling for any animal 

 that he or she possesses or is in charge of ; that 

 no one be permitted to use a captive bird for the 

 purpose of a target or for any kind of trap ; that 

 it be unlawful for any person, in the presence 

 of any pupil, to practise vivisection or exhibit 

 any animal that has been vivisected ; it makes 

 it lawful for any constable, peace officer or 

 humane society inspector to break into any stable 

 or building in which it is suspected that cruelty 

 exists ; that any constable, etc., may order to be 

 removed from work any animal found to be 

 suffering ; that it be unlawful for anyone to sell 

 or deal with any grain or seed that has been 

 rendered poisonous except for bona fide use in 

 agriculture ; that it be unlawful for anyone to 

 place any poison on the land or in a building 



