The Farmers.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 163, 22 July 1901, Page 1

The Farmers.

MA TTERS OF INTEREST.

HOUSES FOR CAVALRY PURPOSES. “ The wav in South Africa and the low prices of wool and grain have made the country turn its attention to the breeding of stout horses for the army, and the Government have very wisely taken up the question of improving the horses in this country, and have already sent home for some sires. This is right enough in its way, but in my humble opinion they have a far surer and easier means ready to their hand u'ore they to utiliso tho money earned by the licensed totalisator, When wo reflect that one single racing club in Canterb ; ury alone received .£ 12,447 from the totalisator last year, what would be the result if all this vast sum of money earned by the totalisator all over Now Zealand were devoted to the improvement of the breed of useful horses instead of the whole maohinory of racing, as at present, benefitting only a few owners of speedy, weedy two and throe-year-olds that are usually unsouul in their kgs and broken down by the time they come to maturity, Wore a law passed that all money earned by the totalisator was t j be given tu prizes to over three years old carrying a minimum weight of lOst over not less than two miles (we need not go quite to the extremes of the Queen’s Plates of our forfathers, who used to run four mile heats with 12st up for ,6100 prizes), the result would be that without spending one farthing of public money we should here in New Zealand produce the tinest hunters and cavalry horses in the world, tit to carry a man for his life by hundreds instead of by ones and twos as at present. There js no doubt we have the climate, and the class of country suitable, and even under the present conditions our New Zealand horses in South Africa compared favorably with those of other countries, THE PRESENT OUTT^.

rfltl lcr difficult to understand „uat is the foundation of the good times we have been experiencing. Of course meat has ruled high lately, and though grain has been unprecedentedly low, there has been a most bountiful harvest. But then wool, by far our largest and most valuable staple, has been lower than ever known hardly. I think we must attribute it a good deal to the low rates of interest ruling, which has been caused greatly, I think, by the large accumulations of money lent out by the insurance offices, the A.M.P. Life insurance alone having over three millions of money lent out at I low rates of interest in New Zealand. Also there is no doubt that the Government borrowing a million or so a year as they have been doing for the last few years, which the country has been spending gaily, has largely contributed to our temporary prosperity. However, I think it behoves us now to think of putting our house in order, as with the terribly low prices of wool and grain farmers have not the prospect of such good times before them thi3 year.