SUBDIVISION OF RUNS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 292, 3 September 1908, Page 2

SUBDIVISION OF RUNS.

SNOWFALL' AND LOSS OF SHEEP. (BY TELEGRATH.—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) : ' Christchurch, September 2. I A-head shepherd from one of the back« country runs of the Mackenzie County,, in conversation with a Tima'ru newspaper man, advanced some arguments against tho proposal .that'the Mackenzie runs, should b<s, subdivided. The. principal - objection to ' the scheme was that it could not be made financially successful, for he did nob think that there was any station in the district which could support four men instead of one, as was. suggested. S?mo of the stations had not an acre of land which would grow food other than tussock, without expensivo cultivation, and by the tim* the settler oil such a section had erected tho essential buildings ho would find that the profits accruing frqm his property wo.ro barely' enough to pay working exptenses. Several people had asked why provisiou'ofdry feed or silage could not be made'for, such a wmter as tlio present 0110, but the, country would not grow it. Referring to tho lossos. of sheep- through the heavy snowfall, ho said that ,a considerable proportion of tho losses might hava been avorted had stockowners remained passivo, instead of . activo, though it was only natural tliat a man- would strive to' succour lws shc«p rather, than sit .by his firesids while thoy \yore starving. Vet that would havo bpon a wiser policy, for unless " black" country was available near at hand, it was \\;orse than, useless .to shift the shcon. Thoy became heated by their struggles or two or three hours' duration through the snow, and' wore then badly chilled, and in many instances killed by tho frost at night. Dead sheep were to bo seen from end to end ,of some of the tracks along Which sheen had beon shifted. " 1