HORSE BREEDING

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1751, 27 September 1905, Page 58

HORSE BREEDING

THE AUSTRALIAN CONFERENCE. The conference of experts, convened by the New South Wales Government and the Sydney Royal Agricultural Soproving the breed of horses in Aueciety, to consider the matter of imtralia, was held at Sydney on the 9th inst. There were about fifty delegates present. Mr S. W. Moore, Minister for Agriculture, in welcoming the deledates, referred to the report of Colonel Goad, Director-General of the Army Remount Department in India. This showed that the Indian Government, fearing the failure of the Australian supply of horses, had gone to America, Argentine, and Hungary for horses for experimental purposes. Australia last year had sent £203,000 worth of horses to India. Great Britain, although having a very limited area, had exported during 1904 horses valued at £581,300. This was distributed as follows:—Hoi-, land, £66,500; Belgium, £180,900; France, £114,700; elsewhere, £219,200. Sir Francis Suttor, who presided, said the question whether Australian horses had deteriorated or not could be put aside. There was any amount of room for improvement. He referred to the work of the premium horses in England, and showed that France, Germany, Austria, and Hungary were* all spending large sums to improve their horses. In Australia it was not so much a question of assisting large breeders to improve their studs as of encouraging the breeding of better horses by persons who were not in a position to employ first-class stallions. There were in New South Wales 808 stallions standing for service, including 403 thoroughbreds, 13 coach-horses, 206 draughts, 16 hacks, 6 hunters, 83 ponies, and 81 trotters. The following resolutions were passed : —“That it is desirable that the Indian and Imperial Government should establish official agencies in New South Wales, with a view'to purchasing direct from horse-breeders. “That an annual tax be placed on all stallions of three years and upwards, and that the amount so raised be applied to subsidising stallions for public service, provided that stallions under three years that are not serving mares shall be exempted. “That, in the opinion of this conference. there should be a competentboard for the purpose of inspecting stallions for public service, and for the issuing of certificates for approved stallions. “That the Government be requested to give premiums to suitable stallions placed at the service of the public at a reasonable fee. “That, in the opinion of this conference, the police and other Government departments should purchase maxes, all things being equal, and that such mares, after being in use for a term of years, be disposed of by auction in this State.” A board of advice was appointed, to assist the Government in giving effect to the resolutions of the conference. The gentlemen elected were: —Messrs E. R. White, R. H. Dangar, R. Skuthorpe, H. D. Morton, A. D. Playfair, J. G. White, R. A. Price, Onslow Thompson, and Sir Francis Suttor. A resolution was passed asking the Government to impress upon the attention of the Imperial Government and the Indian remount authorities the lowness of the prices being offered for remounts, and to request consideration of the question of increasing them. . Colonel Mackay mentioned that he had formerly been impressed with the idea that there should be depots, to buy direct from the breeders. A suggestion to that effect was. at his instance, made to the Home Government, and the reply sent was that there seemed no necessity for any change in the present system. He had since seen Colonel Goad himself on the same subject, and the Colonel had emphasised th© statement, and said that if a depot was to be established they would prefer that it should be established in India. ACTION IN VICTORIA. Speaking to a deputation, the Yictorian Minister of Agriculture stated

that the Government intended to spend £SOOO in encouraging horse-breeding fop export. The State Had enough sires of all descriptions. All they required to do was to devise a means of subsidising private owners. Mr W. Little. M.L.0., said that if horses could only be standard-bred, it would be an immense advantage. The standards of Indian remount officers changed frequently. Also, if from £3O to £4O could be obtained, it would pay to breed good horses, but if only £l2 to £lB was obtainable, land-owners would turn their attention to something more profitable. If a standard were fixed for ten years, and a price of from £3O to £4O were obtainable for remounts* the right class of horses would be forthcoming. Mr W. Beckwith, ex-remount officer of police, said he had heard a rumour that Indian shippers proposed to form a buying ring. That would not be a good thing for breeders. Victoria as a horse-breeding country was done. -Mr T. Hogan suggested that the Government should subsidise agricultural societies, which would offer premiums to encourage breeding. Mr R. Henry thought that the cause of the falling-off in breeding was that the best mares and fillies had been sold for export, and the worst retained.