622 



THE AGRICULT 



URAL JOURNAL. 



showing his loss and giving the name or 

 names of the head or heads of kraals sus- 

 pected. The police will then make a 

 search of the kraals suspected, and should 

 there be no evidence forthcoming of sheep 

 having been stolen, the owner will be re- 

 quired to make an affidavit as to his 

 losses. The Resident Magistrate then 

 holds an enquiry, and it rests with him as 

 to the steps that are next taken. 



Should the Resident Magistrate decide 

 to put district responsibility into force, he 

 then gives notice to the heads of the sus- 

 pected kraals that they will be held re- 

 sponsible if any more sheep are stolen 

 and there is no evidence forthcoming to 

 convict the thief. 



If after the foregoing notice to sus- 

 pected kraals any sheep are stolen within 

 12 months' time, the owner must make an 

 affidavit to that effect, search will be 

 made by the police, and should the 

 thieves not be fouad, the heads of kraals 

 then become liable for the loss. 



District responsibility has been enforced 

 in Lion's River Division on several farms, 

 and, in most intances, with excellent re- 

 sults. In one case a thief was caught in 

 the act by a member of one of the kraals 

 responsible, and in two other cases the 

 thieving ceased. 



I believe district responsibility has 

 lately been enforced on two farms. One 

 of these farms has no natives on it, and 

 yet, between June 8th and September 7th, 

 there were 46 sheep missed ; no portions 

 of s'oleii meat were found, but the owner 

 could ])rove to the satisfaction of the 

 Resident Magistrate that the sheep were 

 stolen, and could not be found dead or 

 alive, and that they had gone in small 

 numbers. Some 32 natives living on 

 seven adjoining farms are concerned in 

 this district responsibility case. 



What can be done in one Division can 

 be done elsewhere, and I wish to draw 

 the attention of sheep-farmers to the fore- 

 going cases. 



With our reduced stock of cattle and 

 rinderpest likely to pay us another visit, 

 farmers look to sheep to help them out of 

 their losses caused by cattle diseases, and 

 I regret to have to say it, but of late 

 several flockmasters have either greatly 

 reduced their flocks or have sold out 

 alt(-gi'ther for no other reason than sheep- 

 steaJing. 



There are many suggestions as to reme- 

 dies or prevention, notably one from 

 Ixopo, as to a system in Griqualand East, 

 where a special body of detectives 

 acquainted with native customs and 

 language are employed ; there was a sug- 

 gestion that it might be tried on a small 

 scale in Ixopo District ; I am not very 

 hopeful about this, but still it might be 

 worthy of a trial in some form. Again, 

 it has been pointed out that from sunset 

 to dawn no one moves abroad in country 

 districts, and a native has full swing, with 

 very little chance of detection. But to 

 my mind a fair trial of district respon- 

 sibility offers the most hopeful solutiou 

 of a great difficulty, and I want sheep- 

 farmers in general to know that it is being 

 enforced, and to strive to get it enforced 

 in a more general manner, for I think 

 stealing goes on more or less in the 

 majority of sheep runs. 



When sheep are sold to natives the skin 

 should always be returned, as then, should 

 skins be found, it wall be valuai)le evi- 

 dence ; nor should skins be given or 

 allowed to be taken by natives for any 

 reason. I give below the portion of the 

 Cattle Stealing Law which deals with dis- 

 trict responsibility, and I trust the fore- 

 going remarks may be of some use to 

 sheep-farmers : — 



Part VI.— Responsibility of Sus- 

 pected Kraals. 



43. Where the cattle of any person have 

 been stolen or killed, and the delinquent 

 cannot otherwise be discovered, but such 

 person shall suspect the delinquent to be 

 an inhabitant of one or more neighbour- 

 ing kraals, he or some person on his be- 

 half may thereupon give either to the 

 Magistrate or to a member of the Natal 

 Police Force (who shall transmit the same 

 forthwith to the Magistrate) a written 

 notice of the stealing or killing of his 

 cattle, and of the kraal or kraals suspected, 

 and thereupon the Magistrate, if satisfied 

 by the affidavit referred to in the next 

 section, or by further enquiry, that there 

 is reasonable ground for suspecting such 

 kraal or kraals, shall forthwith give, or 

 cause to be given, a notice to the head or 

 heads of such kraal or itraals that it 

 is suspected that such stealing or 

 killing has been done by an in- 

 habitant of such kraals or one of such 



