Allowing horse-and-carriages to continue to operate within the City of Hamilton will eventually lead to a deadly accident, the chairman of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has warned.

"The animals are suffering," Dr. Andrew Madeiros said at the Hamilton Rotararians' weekly luncheon. "Hamilton is not what it used to be. We have had horses die, not on Front Street but outside the City limits.

"I feel it will happen ? either a very bad accident with somebody killed or a horse will collapse right outside of a cruise ship and there will be a huge outcry."

Meanwhile the SPCA feels powerless to act to prevent a senseless animal tragedy.

"Our problem is in order for us to act we need an act of cruelty," Dr. Madeiros said. "We need to be able to prove in a court of law that the animal is suffering and they want physical evidence and unfortunately, in our experience, the physical evidence they like is a dead animal."

He said horses working in Hamilton are in inhospitable environments due to traffic, heat, pollution and an "incredible amount of construction".

"It all makes for a rather unpleasant environment for the horses and the people taking rides," he said. "The carriage industry has a captive audience, they are set up on Front Street right by the cruise ships, the tourists come off the ships and it is very tempting for them to hop on and go for a tour. We feel the time has come to re-evaluate the use of horses in the City."

He said it would be better for the animals to work in the City during the cooler and less busy evenings rather than the heat of the day.

After their uncomfortable work, many of these animals return to very poor stable facilities, he added.

"A lot of the stables are very small, structurally unsound, they may be very wet," he said.

"In the winter months the horses are retired until the start of the next season when they are harnessed up and ready to go within a day or two's notice."

While commercial stables are inspected by Government once a year in Spring there is a huge variation in the levels of different facilities.

"Some are absolutely fine but some are very, very poor," he said. "The problem is you get a mentality of 'It's been licensed every year. Why should I now stop individuals who are making a living this way?'"

However, the SPCA have had some success in improving conditions.

"This year we heard about the implementation of a new set of commercial stable regulations," he said. "We formulated these regulations for the Government four years ago and have now gone through the Parliamentary process and, as far as I know, they now are the new law. They set new boundaries for the keeping of commercial horses.

"Unfortunately, a lot of existing horses are not going to fall under these guidelines. Certainly any new facilities coming on board will have to meet these regulations."

Working with the Corporations of Hamilton and St. George's has been more frustrating, however.

Dr. Madeiros said the SPCA has been working with the Corporation of St. George's for eight years to get a shade for the horses.

"We have had promises made for shades for the horses to rest under in the past, this has not happened," he said. "They have issues of picking a location, issues post-hurricane ? all these, we feel, are easily dealt with, but we have not even had a temporary structure built this year.

"The problem isn't funds. The problem is the Corporation agreeing to put up a facility. We could get the money. They refuse to allow a facility to be put up. It's not a pressing issue for them. We told them we would find the money. They don't seem to be interested."

Tourists often complain about the conditions the horses work under but this does not seem to sway the Corporations, he added.

And he called on the public to write letters until changes are made ? to the Editor of , to the Corporation of St. George's and to the Minister of the Environment.