UTILITY HORSES

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 72, 18 December 1937, Page 15

UTILITY HORSES

Need To Foster Breeding In New Zealand

RACING CONFERENCE MOVE (By Carbine.) Recently an item was published in “The Dominion” about, the .1 per cent, totalisator rebate which the Government is making to racing clubs. The item concluded with the following paragraph : — It will be necessary for every club to forward to the New Zealand Racing Conference a cheque for the amount of one shilling in the pound out of the amount of the 1 per cent, refund receiv'ed by the club. This has to be sent immediately after the receipt of the refund and is the club’s donation to the Remounts Encouragement Fund. Since the appearance of the article stewards of several clubs have asked for information about the Remounts Encouragement Fund. The Remounts Encouragement Act has been on the statute book for more than 20 years, but its existence seemed to become forgotten. About 18 months ago Lieutenant-Colonel D. R. Hewitt, a New Zealander who had served in the British Army in India and other parts of the world, was on a visit here from England. He went, into the question with members of the Racing Conference, with the result that a scheme for submission to the Government was drafted. Representatives of the Racing Conference and the Hunts Association, accompanied by Lieutenant-Colonel Hewitt, waited on’ the Minister of Internal Affairs and presented a scheme for the improvement, of light-horse breeding in New Zealand. The conference found the Minister enthusiastic, and a result was that a vote of £lOOO appeared in the Supplementary Estimates. The desire of the Executive Committee of the Racing Conference was that the Act passed in 1914 should be put into operation by the active and practical encouragement of the breeding of first-class remounts, and that there should be a minimum of delay in setting the scheme in motion. The Act provides for the payment of a maximum subsidy of £l5O ner annum to owners of stallions of approved type, the horses to be free of hereditary' unsoundness. The conditions governing the subsidy are those named in the Act or to be specified in regulations made under the Act. The amount of the subsidies payable by the Government shall not exceed the sum of £4OOO in any one year. The president of the Racing Conference. Mr. J. S. McLeod, considers that a need exists for taking immediate steps to encourage horse-breeding in New Zealand. particularly of the types generally known as utility horses, such as liuliters, ponies, station hacks, polo ponies, half-draughts, and all kinds of horses which might be used for military purposes. The Hunters' Improvement and Nation, al Light Horse Breeding Society, which has been in existence in England since .1885, is doing a work which, it is considered,' should be emulated in New Zealand. At the annual general meeting of members of the society it was reported that the War Office had renewed its grant of £4500, and the Racecourse Betting Control Board had increased its grant from £5OOO to £OOOO a year. These grants are for the purpose of providing premiums for thoroughbred stallions. The. value of each stallion premium was £l5O. and 60 premiums were offered in England and Wales. In addition there were 14 special premiums of £5O, bringing the amount of assistance in these cases to £2OO. Wonderful work of a national character has been done by the society. ■ The executive of the Racing Conference considers there is an urgent need for action in New Zealand.