The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-04-07
S. p. C. A.
The Protection Of Animals Society
Holds Its Annual Meeting.

Excellent Address from President Pullen
Work of the Agent the Past Year
Officers Elected.
The annual meeting OF the State Soci-
ely for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ami
mails, was held yesterday afternoon.
There was good attendance. In the alb
sence of President Pullen, Mr.. Edward
Woodman presided and read the. presi-
dents address, which is as folloaws:
THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS.
To the Members of the Maine State So
ciety for the Protection of Animals,
am glad to be able to give q favorable
and cheering account of the work Of the
society for the past year. There has been
a notable decrease of the more obvious
and conspicuous forms of cruelty and
neglect toward animals, not only in our
home field but also as shown by the re-
ports of agents elsewhere throughout the
state Much fewer cases are reported OF
lame or decrepit horses driven or worked,
of animals insuffciently provided with
food, of horses left unblanketed on the
street. or of cattle exposed to cold by
lack of shelter. These things are proof of
the effectiveness of the past work of the
society in the cultivation of general hui
name sentiment in the community. and
the certainty that any cruelty or neglect
| discovered will be Immediately visited
with punishment. The dinainution of
this class of cases has enabled our
officers to devote their energies to other
| fields needing care and to extend the llse-
fulness of the society very considerably.
We have been instrumental in securing
the appointment OF many agents in other
| parts of the state, who are in communica-
ton with our home agent and receive his
advice and assistance whenever needed.
| The humane sentiment developing
| throughout the state generally, nnds ex-
preston in the desire to form local soole-
| ties or associations; and we have frequent
communications from persons in different
towns in the state asking for suggestions
respecting such organization. While We
are very much inclined to encourage eve y
kind of movement or combination wh1t
will lead to the development OF kindly
and helpful feeling toward animals, we
do not as q rule recommend the formation
in small communities of such associa-
lions. The impulse which starts them is
not usually sufficient to produce regular
attendance at meetings and to result In
continued effort, unless there chances to
be some one person concerned who has
enough interest, energy and rugged persis-
tence to see to the maintenance of the
work. So that the common history OF
such societies is that of a meeting for or
ganizatjon and one or two subsequent
sessions-and then lassitude. We recon-
mend in cases where such impulse arises
lin the community that 1t be utilized in
| inducing memberships to the State So
ciety.
When any particular man is desired as
an agent we are glad to secure his ap-
pointment by the Governor and afterward
| to aid and support him by counsel and by
the presence and assistance of our home
I y, Lor,, IS off cd
| inasmuch as few individuals in a small
community like to incur the enmity OF
their neighbors by openly originating &C.
| tion against them; and in these cases the
comparatively impersonal action OF our
| home agent is especially useful. A nota-
| BILE exception to the common practice IN
respect of local societies may be mentioned
in that at Bangor; but it is an exception
which proves the rule as just stated for
| its effectiveness, in fact its very continued
| existence, depends upon the energy and
| persistence of it's president, Mr.. Joseph +.
| Snow. whose earnestness in this humane
| work is beyond all praise. He not only
keeps close supervision over Bangor, but
reaches out through Penobscot county
and several Of the adjacent counties, thus
materially assisting the State Society in
properly covering its territory.
| AS suggested in the address of last year
| the thorough working out OF the case of
4
simplihed the treatment of similar cases
| along the coast. On one of the outlying
| islands of Casco Bay which has no human
| inhabitants, sheep have been kept for
several years, partially provided with
shelter-but, as is well known to all who
have studied the subject. sheep are among
| the most unintelligent and helpless OF
| animals in respect of taking care of them
selves. Reports reached us, by means OF
/ fishermen and Others who passed the
| island. of the uncomfortable and precaci-
Gus condition of these Sheep and our
| agent at once visited the scene. He found
that the sheep were suffering for the care
and guidance of man, upon whom they
seem so dependent He Immediately called
upon the owner, substantial farmer l1v-
ing on neighboring large island, and
pointed out the improprlety OF the sltua-
ton The owner appeared not unklnd
man, though rather inconsiderate; he
said that he had wondered that sheep did
not thrive better there, as he supposed
they couldsdig through the snow for food
enough Being informed by our agent
that we must insist upon better care for
| the sheep, and their removal from the
uninhabited island, he yielded to the ne
cessity and conveyed them to his own
home place within the time stipulated.
While this case was not as severe as that
of Monhegan Island, it was amply sufff-
Gent to justify our interference; and
the prompt acquiescence of the farmer in
our requirements demonstrates the whole
some effect of our thorough action in the
IMonhegan matter.
A subject of considerable Importance
which has required and received careful
attention is the passage through the city
for shipment abroad Of cattle, horses and
sheep. Some idea may be had of the
magnitude of this business from the state
ment that between the first of December
last and the first of April of this year
there were brought over the Grand Trunk
railroad and shipped on steamers for
Europe 17.777 cattle, 1886 sheep and 2, US
horses. The care at this point and the
shipment on the vessels has been under
the supervision of DIR. F. W. Huntington,
who is the United States Inspector Of the
Shipment of Animals, and who is also
one of the veterinary surgeons and an
agent of our society. DIR. Huntington
reports. stthat in the NOV ement OF this
large amount of live stock to the ships,
not one animal has been lost or injured
in the handling, and the percentage ct
loss on shipboard is much less than In
former years; which is due to the strict
rules and regulations of the bureau of
| Animal Industry. u. S. A. ,sgoverning