140 THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE HOUNDS. 



when they put up a wire along an old fence, that they are putting up what may 

 prove to be the cause of serious injury or even the death of one of their 

 fellow-men. 



I need hard!}' say that fox-hunters are the chief sufterers from this danger. 

 Now, of course, fox-hunting is regarded from very different points of view by 

 different persons. There are people who are fond of hunting ; there are those 

 who do not care about it themselves, but who wish that their neighbours and 

 othei's who do like it should enjoy themselves ; and there are those who dislike 

 hunting. Obviously, no one in the first two categories would do anything 

 detrimental to hunting, while of all those who would come in the last category 

 there would not be one, I am sure, who would knowingly do anything that 

 would endanger the life or limb of perhaps his friend and neighbour. Cheapness 

 and facility of erection may be alleged in fixvour of strengthening weak fences 

 with wire ; but might not they be made good equally well in other ways ? A 

 little more care of the live quick would, in many cases, render any wire or timber 

 umiecessary. On some properties there are quantities of inferior timber gi-owing 

 that will never be of much value, and which might be utilized to strengthen weak 

 fences without injuring the pocket of either landlord or tenant to any great 

 extent. 



If, however, a farmer with the best intentions finds himself unable to avoid 

 using wire along any given fence, then I would beg of him to put it up con- 

 spicuously, so that it may be readily seen at a short distance, and not so run along 

 the fence as to be a treacherous and possibly fatal snare to some unfortunate 

 rider. 



I remain, etc., 



Live axd Let Live. 



This letter was endorsed by a short editorial note 

 appearing in the same issue, as follows : — 



'■"We understand that the North Staflbrdshire Hunt have recently had under 

 consideration the numerous cases of accident which arise to hunting men from 

 the practice of using wires to strengthen and repair weak fences. It is the 

 farmers who are responsible for the mischief caused in this way, and it is to them 

 that an appeal is addressed which appears in our columns to-day in the form of a 

 letter, and which we hope will have some effect for good, especially in those 

 cases where the harm is done unwittingly of the evil which may follow. It is in 

 the invisibility of the wire that the great danger lies, and our correspondent, in 

 liis very moderate appeal, requests that at any rate, if wire must be used, it may 

 be put up conspicuously, so that it may be readily seen at a short distance." 



We wish we could say that we believed these appeals 

 had had the desired effect, but we fear there is still far too 

 much wire in the district. 



The Hunt Committee at that time (1886) consisted of 

 the following gentlemen, most of whom remained in office 

 for some years afterwards. They were appointed in the 

 year 1885 : — 



