Live Stock Shipping. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2161, 25 July 1895, Page 17

Live Stock Shipping . TO THE EDITOR.

gin, — In my la9t I touched on the necessity of shipping good sheep only, liberal feeding during the voyage, and of having at least one thoroughly competent man in charge. Now another matter of vital importance to the trade is the necessity of the colony being at all times able to show a clean bill of health. Allow one outbreak to be reported in New Zealand, or one animal affected with a contagious disease to be detected on board a New Zealand ship, and like a thunderbolt ell they forcei of "redtapeicm " will bp brought into play in London, with the result that the live stock shipping trade would bs collapsed for an indefinite period. I have seen the whole cattle trade of Ireland paralysed by an Order in Council imposing restrictions which practically prohibited the landing of Irish cattle in any port in Great Britain simply becauEe a cow from some dirty byre in Dublin city had been found to be affected with pleuro. The Home ports are at present closed against Canadian stores, because one bullock was found to be suffering from what the head

of the Veterinarian department declared to ba pleuro-pneumonia. His diagnosis of the oass was questioned by many eminent authorities, both at Home and in Canada, and though great pressure has been from timo to time brought to bear on the Minister at the head of tbe department, yet the restrictions have not so far been relaxed. It ia now almost certain that a Tory Government will be in power for some years in the Imperial Parliament, and the Minister far Agriculture in that Government will be tho Eight Hon. Henry Chaplin, a rank Protectionist. Now if this trade in live stock is attended with any meisuro of success, it will naturally grow, and eventually very materially affect the financial interests of farmers and meat salesmen at Home and those interested ia the frozen meat industry in Now Zealand, so that if we take these combined forces into consideration, in conjunction with a Minister afc the head of affairs at Home whoso sympathies are all in favour of giving protection to the British farmer (?) or landlord, it is very easy to Eec the absolute necessity of providing against the possibility of giving even the shadow of an excuse to impose restrictions on tho landing of New Zealand live stock. I need scarcely point out that we^ate bound to see that stock is not only healthy when pat on board, but healthy when landed. Even a few cases of, say, footrot might give no end of trouble to those responsible for the disposal of stock in the Home markets. This is another reason why I attach so much importance to having a thoroughly practical man ia charge — not a mere machine to perform a few routine duties, bat a mac who can use his eyes and brains, and wht» can act, and t>ct promptly, in c*stf of emergency. I have not hud sufficient coloni*! experience to presume to speak with any degree ot authority on the ,t>9ftus tftkeu to prevent outbr aks of contagious diseases amongst stock, bub from personal observation I thould say that in case of an outbreak one matter which would call for immediate attention is the »t*te of Boms of the saleyards. Indeed, there seems to me to be & "screw loose/ about the whole saleyurd system as it is practised here ; bat as this doe» not ben l- directly on the subject of my present letter, I will not touch on it in the meantime, though perhaps in some future inae I may trouble yon for a little more space to offer a. few mild suggestions on the subject. — I am,, &0., James Ltlico. Morton Mains,' July 20.