OUR EQUINE ASSET.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 110, 9 May 1895, Page 4

OUR EQUINE ASSET.

A telegram from Wellington yesterday announced thab the Stock Department; had beeninetructed to issue circulars to farmers and breeders intimating that in the event of a suitable shipment: of horses being taade, and any loss accruing on the sales at

Home, the Government will be prepared to :SfS? half fch^ freight. .The ofier,_ which f Se, with the.Qbject of encouraging the . «Sd io us to give promise of great benewithout fear, of con- / tradfeSTtkat there is ,no other country^ SSS world where a class of horses equ*l in all points, to those we rear here can^be produced so easily. Sew Zealand and ipSly this North Island seems to have been designed by Nature for the home of the horseg Here they flour» B h with the minimum of attention,.and even when ej. . tirely neglected, over-worked and balfsSved, .! is the case with the pomes belosing to the Maories, they jet exhibit a See of epirib and endurance which S seem to prove that our nia^»ficenb air' was all they required to keop^them, tn\ood heart. Ver in Au,tr a ua horseth ?v 9 wonderfully also; bat we doubt! veiry much, judging from tb©' specimeos wo have seen, whether tb.e Australian Climate can cdmpare with ours in the ■ Matter of suitability for borse breeding. 4ho high position whicU New Zealand itock has taken on the. Australian racecourses is significant of what we can do in the way of producing one valuable class of horse, and it may be' questioned whether, if wo devoted ourselves with more ardour ~ still to the rearing of racers, we might) not bo ablo to make aa nltcgether exceptional name for ourselves in thab branch of stock . we ar/j not very greatly mistaken, the rearing of race liorses,- though importanb in view of tbo world-wide interest taken in the sport, is'not the most important bus'inesß for the farmers and breeders of the colony. The demand for that class of horses is comparatively limited, and there is great 1 expense and ms , connected with their, culture. Bub 1* heavy and medium dnaugbts and hunters. r;| bhereisanaJmostunlftrated market—always ■ , supposing that they ' can be sold at amoderate figure—and*!he expense of rearing such animals in New' 2,'ealand is very HgntIf our farmers turned their attention to the * production of these elates of horses—that ;| they can produce theim'jn: perfection, no one doubts—and a profitable market was established- at Home.1 in a very few years our export) trade in tbas department would represent a large figulre. And the prices quoted from time to time as obtainable in London indicate, very <;learly that the buai- ' ness can bsT made profitable if we embark ,| on it in a careful and systematic way. .' ,? The one thing neodful for ua at this moraenb : i8 to ascertain with definite i| accuracy the style of hflrsea for which there is the-greatest;..demand in Greab Britain,;.^ and to devote ourselyea to the reariiifij of them. We are perfectly persuaded that) , ; we can producoany cl ass of hoise against the world. New Zealaind has shown she can :?■ doit. ! At the present momtenb one of the chief; •: difficulties fa the way of an export tradeputting aside the initial drawback that we have not yet, in aU. probability, got tho ■ most suitable horseg; in sufficiently- large! ■'-';( Bumbers—is the want of proper accommodation on board the steamers. Bub this will soon be remedied- The experiments ; being made in the shipment of live cattle . have shown the necessity for a much better . system of stabling for stock on . shipboard," v| I and Aye may expecb 60 see f. great improve- | I ments in the near fui are..' With accomirip- I dation ensuring the health and safoty.oftne..; j, animals, cheap frelights, and quick passr'g ages, New Zealand should be able to place herhorses in Londoti in good condition and at a moderate ' figure,; and if ehe can do >. that she may reasonably hope to build up a . valuable stirad© with the old: country in ,<■ tio'rses.-' ■ ■ ■■'■'.'■ ' '■•■>'.■■■':•■ ■ ■■"■?"■ ■/.""''■■:"-'-:''?i".'i"'i :%| There are other markets which will open 1 to the colonises when they, biaye once ttiade known their ability to produce gboahpiseflesh aba cheap rate. The. demand 1-for 1 horses in India is) an increasiDg-bne^a'nd if | we dq nob chare in the trade it' is simply::be- | cause we have bijen wanting ;in enterprise I and have not gi'ren' ourselves;any;^trouble y| to cater for the ' particular waiifcs of those | who might be a;/nongsb bur best caetomers. | The step the Governmenfc baa taken is a -\ wise, one. Very properly, as ;wo ith'ink, i| they have nob offered bribes to the fanners j , to engage in this iuduatrry aa some doubt- •' , less think they should have done. It is 1 left to the farmer and breeder to show their i enterprise in the matter, and the Government has promised that in the case of their being any loss, half the expense of the ■ freight will be paid to tho shipper.1 This !; is surely a sufficiiently liberal inducement . to all self-reliant colonists who ars-really desirous of testing-.the'London.markeb, and wo shall look feu-ward to seothb scheme ; . taken up enthusiastically. (^