HOUSE BREEDING.

Evening Star, Issue 14635, 3 August 1911, Page 10

HOUSE BREEDING.

CLYDESDALE SOCIETY FORMED

Somewhere about 70 of those interested in Clydesdale horse-breeding held a meeting at the Victoria Hall yesterday afternoon to discuss the possibility of forming a New Zealand association of breeders of this class of stock. Mr J. A. Johnstone presided. - Mr H. ..V. Fulton (who, as interim secretary of the movement, had communicated with the various A. and P. Societies throughout the Dominion as to the project) read the replies received, these generally being favorable except in the case of the Canterbury A. and P. Society. It was also announced that the Union Steam Ship Company offered a donation of 50 guineas if the association should be formed, and also a challenge cup, to be competed wr at the A. and P. shows upon conditions to be agreed upon. Messrs Thomson and Co. (Dunedin) also stated their willingness to donate a challenge cup and a cash contribution. Mr Ernest Short, of Feilding, offered a donation of 25 guineas, and offers were received from Mr Donald Macdonald (Edendale) of £2O. and from Mr John Roberts, C.AT.G., of 10 guineas. The Chairman, in the course of a lengthy statement, referred to the initial steps taken, in June, and the ascertaining of the feelings of various A. and P. Societies in New Zealand. It was with profound regret that he learned that the metropolitan society of the Province of Canterbury was holding aloof. That society considered that the Draught Horse Stud Book published by it was sufficient for present needs, and saw no necessity lor creating a separate society and stud book in the interests of any one of the distinct breeds of cart-horse. That view was not shared by studmasters generally, or by the public, either in the Dominion or elsewhere. He could assure them that absolutely no value whatever was attached to registration of Clydesdale horses in the Draught Horse Stud Book as it existed to-day. So far as he was aware, there was absolutely no check on what went into that book. He had never heard that there was an editing committee to consider and deal with entries as they came to hand, and he had never heard'of an inspection of any horse to ascertain if it conformed to the type or otherwise. It was not so with those who controlled the affairs of the Sheep I‘lock Book or the Hereford Cattle Stud Book. As he had pointed cut at the preliminary meeting, if the proposed Clydesdale Horse Society came into being, and" if registration in it were to become the hall-mark of the breed, the most scrupulous care would have to be exercised in the consideration of entries, so that the purity and _ excellence of the breed might be maintained. Of course.’ in opening the stud book reasonable latitude would require to be given the editing committee in admitting horses. It might be found in some instances at the cutset that owing to there having hitherto been no proper system of registration, some pedigrees were not as complete as the regulations might require. The committee should in those cases, say, during the first vear of the society, have power to relax the conditions, if "after careful investigation of the pedigree and inspection of the mimal in question they were satisfied that the breeding and conformation were right To inaugurate such an association would require perhaps £SOO or £6OO, but that -um should nob be bevond them. It was probable, that legislation dealing with this would be introduced into the Jvew Zealand Parliament. Mr George Thomson moved that a New Zealand Clydesdale Society be formed, with a stud book attached. Mr D. Murray seconded this. Mr E. Short," (Feilding) moved as an amendment —“ That tbii representative meeting of Clydesdale breeders of New •'.e:iland form a Clydesdale Horse ’Society ; ,f Xew Zealand on "the lines of the Clydesdale Society of Great Britain and Ireland, nid that a provisional council ix* appointed to adapt the constitution of the society for local requirements, and to take | such steps for the formation and registration | of the society as they deem fit." He i thought it was a gu- nity that the breeders had not united «. nie 20 years ago. ; He thought that the .-»• ,ar they formed a I society and put matters on a proper footing the better for the breed. They would then be able to send their horses to different I parts of the world. At the present time | unscrupulous breeders took horses io Aus- j tralia, and all sorts of pedigrees wero rung in. ■ j Mr W. Gardiner seconded this. | Mr W. Waddell strongly objected to the j derogatory way in which the Canterbury ! A. and P. Society's conduct of the stud | look had been spoken of. His subsequent i remarks led to considerable interruption | The Chairman said that as a commercial ] n-.an he knew that other countries attached no importance to registration in that book. Mr Gardiner strongly criticised- the pre- j sent stud hook. | Mr Short's amendment was carried by a j very large majority, Mr Thomson record- ; mg his das&ent. - Mr Thomson then moved—“ That the proposed stud book be a record of sound- 1 nees as well us of pedigree. Mr J. T. Tisdall seconded this. Mr Gardiner said that would be one of the aime of the society, otherwise there would bo no us© in forming one He thought, however, these matters should ho left to the executive or council, to he sleeted presently Ho moved ;m amendment to that effect. The amendment was seconded hy Air Muir and carried. A long discussion as to the. constitution of the Council ended in the decision to have 12 representatives from each island, and a chairman. -After a good deal of discussion the meeting decided to appoint delegates, four from the South Island to confer with the four delegates from the North Island present at the meeting. These eight gent'emen—Messrs E. Short (Feilding), R. ,F. Dagg (Masterton), A. Hunter (EgmonU, H. Gillies (Manawatu). G, Thomson (Dunedin), James Gow (Taieri), J. D. Wyllie* (Sefton), and Duncan King (Winlon), "and the chairman met last night, and will report to.a further meeting, to be held tonight.