646
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE
[No. 26

GENERAL

4. Loading and unloading must be performed by, and under all circumstances entirely at the risk of, the consignor and consignee respectively.

The Department will not be responsible for any particular number of live-stock specified as having been loaded into any particular wagon for carriage by rail.

5. The Department may—
   (a) Refuse the transport of sick, wild, unmanageable, or fierce animals. The Department may, however, accept such animals for transportation upon condition that freight is prepaid and that the Department is free from all liability in respect thereof.
   (b) Refuse the transport of live-stock when the animals, in the opinion of the Stationmaster or Guard, are not in a fit condition to travel.
   (c) Restrict if necessary the number of animals which may be loaded in any wagon or any class of wagon.
   (d) Load other animals, vehicles, or goods from the same or different consignors to the same or different consignees in the same wagon.
   (e) Refuse to accept for transport any live-stock that are or may be timed to arrive at their destination between 6 p.m. on Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday, unless and until an undertaking in writing shall have been received from the consignee that the live-stock will be unloaded and delivery taken thereof within three hours after arrival at destination.

6. The Department does not under any circumstances accept any responsibility whatever for animals before they are placed into the wagon; for the consequences resulting from animals falling in wagons; for animals injured by other animals in wagons, or after the animals arrive at the station to which they are transported; nor is the Department liable for loss caused by live-stock jumping out of wagons whilst in transit.

7. The Department will not be bound to receive any live-stock for carriage to or from any railway-station which is not equipped with platforms, yards, and other suitable facilities for loading and unloading live-stock: Provided that at the option of the Department live-stock may be received for carriage to or from such places if the owners accept all the risk.

FEEDING AND WATERING

8. Live-stock must be adequately fed and watered immediately prior to being tendered to the Department for transport, and a certificate may be required from the consignor that this has been done. Live-stock may not be accepted for transport where this condition has not been complied with.

9. Owners of live-stock must in all cases make their own arrangements for feeding, watering, or tending stock. The Department does not accept any responsibility in regard thereto.

10. If desired by the owners, live-stock may be off-loaded for feeding and watering at a station convenient to the Department between that from which they are forwarded and their destination, but they must not be detained more than twenty-four hours, otherwise the journey will be regarded as a new journey from the point where the stock was detained, and charges will be payable thereon accordingly.

11. The Department may, whenever it considers it necessary, provide live-stock whilst in its charge with food or water, or both (when practicable), at the expense of the consignees or consignors (as the case may be), and for such purpose the live-stock may be off-loaded. In no case will any charge be made for the water supplied to such stock.

12. In either of the cases referred to in paragraphs 10 and 11 the Department may, whenever it performs the work of reloading, make an additional charge of 8s. per four-wheeled wagon, and 16s. per bogie wagon.

LOADING AND UNLOADING

13. The consignor shall be responsible and shall pay for damage done by animals to wagons, enclosures, or other railway property while such animals are on the premises of the railway, unless he can prove that the damage is to be ascribed to the bad conditions of such wagon, enclosure, or railway property.

14. Animals which have died during their transport or before delivery to consignees must be accepted by the consignor or consignee (as the case may be) if the carcass is tendered by the Department, and such carcass must be removed forthwith from railway property, failing which the Department will take steps to have it removed at the cost of the consignor or consignee (as the case may be). If any animal has died whilst in transit and has been removed from the wagon the consignor or consignee (as the case may be) shall pay the cost of such removal and burial as hereinafter provided.

15. Live-stock received by rail at stations must be removed within three working-hours after their arrival, otherwise such stock will be unloaded and held at the sole risk and expense of the owner.

16. A charge of 6s. 6d. per four-wheeled wagon and 13s. per bogie wagon will be made for unloading such stock.