Horses Gaining On Irish Farms; Racing Declines

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 10, 13 January 1936, Page 5

Horses Gaining On Irish Farms; Racing Declines

DUBLIN

iiorses in tho Irish Free State, far from being pushed off the farms by tractors, are now shown to bo in increasing use in agriculture.

Evidence that tho number of farm horses was 320,000 in 1032, compared with 230,000 in 1011, has just been given here before the Horse Breeding Commission.

This is good news to tho Free State; for horses are one of tho Irishman's greatest prides. Ample proof of this can be seen at Dublin's two great shows —tho Royal Horse Show and the Dubling Spring Show; or, for that matter, there are endless signs of “ horsiness ” in every part of the country. Pracli caily every farm lias its thorouglibrec mare.

Valued at £IO,OOO, f*J. But, to come down to figures which incidentally do not always interest Irish folk as much as they do other people, the average yearly export of horses fo. the last few years from tho Free State has been 10,000, an important factor tho nation's trade balance. The present horse population of the country is conservatively valued at £IO,OOO,UUU. It is to safeguard the interests oi this industry that the Horse Breeding Commission is sitting. Mr. J. B. Fitzgerald, an inspector of the Department of Agriculture, pointed out to the commission how tho horse industry was not carried on by big interests, but by thousands of small farmers. Therefore, he said, it was of national importance to encourage the breeding of the best types.

Senator W. Quirkc, a member of the commission, declared that in many parts of the Free Stale it was being found that the horse was a more economical proposition than tho tractor. This, it should be remembered, is largely due to the small farms whie 1 - are the rule.

Some Ground Lost. In other spheres, however, the horse has lost much ground since 1911. Mr. Fitzgerald said that only 17,000 horses were in use for traffic and manufacture in 1932, as against 30,000 in 1911. The number used for amusement in 193:! was 19,000, compared with 25,000 in 1911.

The value of horses exported was £2,123,312 in 1930; this had fallen to £704,515 in 1933, largely due to the “economic war" with England. As an example of the direct influence on employment of the horse-breeding industry, Mr. Fitzgerald quoted that oats eaten in the Free State every year amounted to 220,000 tons. There were 7415 persons in the production of these oats, while tho number employed in horse breeding itself was 60,000. A decline in horse racing in the Free

State was also referred to by Mr. Fitzgerald. “Racing is at present dwindling in this country/’ iio said. “The value of the stakes has decreased from £145,150 in to £77;095 in 1932. Owing to the lack of money for adequate stakes many Irish race meetings have been abandoned, while others are threatened with extinction.”