NOT ENOUGH DRAUGHTS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LIII, Issue 8686, 13 September 1924, Page 2

NOT ENOUGH DRAUGHTS

At tin' last annual meeting cf tho New Zealand Clydesdale Horse Socictv held in Dunedin, the president, Mr J. A. Johnstone said: - ■‘l think the Society might very appropriate] v direct the attention cf tin' Minister of Agriculture to the apparent oversight of the department in not slating in the annual returns the numbers separately of the different classes of horses of which the total is made up. This is an emission (hat without much trouble, and with no extra expense, should be easily rectified. As tin 1 statistics are now published, all we know is that there arc* so many horses in the Dominion- We all knew, of course, i licit since the advent of motors and the construction <T electric tramways in the cities there has been an enormous shrinkage in the number of light horses bred in the country, and the onlv offset to this decline lias been Hie increase cf horses suitable for the racing Hack, both for flat racing and frotting.

"Fanners are not interested in these two classes, but it becomes a erions matter for the development of the country when we see how the producing capacity of our lands is retarded because of inadequate supplies of good young draught horses. Here are the figures for the past few years showing how progressive has been the decline- In 1911 there were 404 284 horses in the Dominion. In 1919, 363,188; 1920 316,407; 1921, 337,259; 1922. 332. 105. and in 1923, 330,818. These figures disclose' a shrinkage of more than 20 per cent. What proportion of this decline in numbers belongs to the draught horse section if is, for the reason already stated, impossible Id 1 estimate, but it is certain that many farmers have gone out cf draught horse breeding, and Ibis lias brought about the scarcity cf well-bred stock. Recent sales throughout the Dominion have made it clear that the industry is profitable to breeders, and one that, in their own interests, should be fostered bv i lie farmers.’’