THE WORKING HORSE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19698, 26 July 1927, Page 12

THE WORKING HORSE.

Sir, —May I make * few comments on tho article "The Vanishing Horse," which appeared in Saturday's Herald. In this the writer stated that horses are disappearing from the large city stables and from the city streets, horse-power having been largely superseded by motor-power for transport and haulage. This is certainly very true up to a point, but very large numbers of horses still remain even in the city, doing their faithful work—precariously enough, poor things—on the unsuitable surface of the concrete highways. On the outskirts of the city the diminution in the number of horses is not so noticeable. From dawn—and before dawn—any day one can still hear the familiar clatter of the hoofs that bear the morning's miik to one's door. If one lives on any of the roads that lead to the outer suburbs, the steady tramp of the horse of the market gardener is heard very shortly afterwards, and a little later in the day the reliable Dobbins of •. the butcher and the baker start on their daily journeys. Workers for the welfare of animals in this city are constantly being told "'that horses are "going out," and that vigilance in one direction at least will soon be unnecessary. Yet, according to the latest statistics of the Department of Agriculture, there are still nearly 80,000 horses in the Auckland district! Member, S.P.C.A.