IN SEARCH OF SHEEP

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 61, 13 March 1937, Page 11

IN SEARCH OF SHEEP

RUSSIAN BUYERS

A pany of six Russians, MM. .Mayoroff B. Gnedash, P. Ossipov, I. Pchelia, A. Velikovsky, and Mme. G. Dudorenko, arrived at Wellington by the Rangitata today in search of suitable sheep for growing wool on the plains surrounding Moscow and in the Northern Caucasus. The buyers were in Great Britain for some months buying pedigree sheep there, and they will be in-New. Zealand for some time if they can find sheep, suitable to their requirements. The leader of the party, M Mayoroff, is the only one who speaks fluent English, and he stated on arrival that, they did not wish to discuss their .plans until they knew what the prospects were in the Dominion. • ■ When the party set sail for New Zealand the London, representative of the "Evening Post" wrote:—"The U.S.S.It. plan is to improve and to enlarge their present flock, which was allowed to dwindle in numbers after the revoiUtion. Their first objective is to increase its size to pre-revolution days, when it numbered about 120,000,000, and then to multiply that number five times. At present Russia's flock is about 70,000,000. Russia also desires to provide all her own requirements of ■crossbred wool. So far she has nevfir devoted much more than about onethird of her flock to the raising o£ finer wools. The larger proportion has been very coarse and hairy, surtaoie for carpel-making. "A typical thoroughness has marked Russian plans so far, and the advice of Australian and New Zealand pastoralists' has been sought and followed. It is understood that Russian wool will not be offered for sale outside the country, since her present production is but a small percentage of her requirements. It will, of course, save her the necessity of buying abroad."