N.Z.’S CATTLE HERDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1020, 10 July 1930, Page 11

N.Z.’S CATTLE HERDS

AUCKLAND’S LEADING POSITION BIG INCREASE IN NUMBERS Auckland’s leading position as a dairying province is shown ip the provisional returns of live stock issued by the Government Statistician for the 3 r ear ended April 30. Auckland’s dairy cattle are shown at little short of half of the Dominion total. The dairy cattle returns for the various land districts

The total number of cattle was at c..e record figure of 3,563,497 in 1924 and there was then a decline each year to 3,257,729 in 1927. A recovery of 16,000 was noted in 1928 and last year the increase was maintained, the total being 3,445,790. This year’s total of all cattle is 3,720,969, representing an increase of 463,240 since 1927 and exceeding by 157,472 the previous record of 1924. Beef Cattle Figures If dairy cows are excluded, the statistics show for 1922 a record, up to that time, of 2,286,178 other cattle, and annual contraction of the total to 1,921,371 in 1928. Last year there was an increase to 2,074,727, and now a further gain of 222,375 to a new record of 2,297,102. The following table shows the distribution of cattle other than dairy cows:

The number of pigs has again shown a marked decline, continuing the downward trend which was revealed last year. From 1916, when annual enumeration was commenced, until 1919. the number receded from 297,000 to 235,000. A steady increase followed in subsequent years until 586,898 was reached in 1928. Last year the number declined to 556,795, and a further fall of 72,912 to 483,820 is shown in this year’s returns. Further contraction has occurred in the number of horses, which, except for a gain of 3,450 in 1928, has become steadily less since 1911, when the peak number, 404,284, was reached. The interim returns givoAhe number at the end of last January as 297,264, a fall of 1,722 in comparison with the number in the previous year and the lowest number since 1904.

Land District. 1929. 1980. InNorth Auckland 224,294 244,732 20,438 Auckland. 392,302 414,186 21.8S4 Gisborne . 36,949 88,504 1,555 Hawke’s Bay . 51,618 52,216 59 S Taranaki. . . ? 207,646 209,263 1,617 Wellington . . . 19S.891 207,029 8,138 North Island . 1,111,700 1,165,930 54,230 South Island . 259,363 257,937 1,426* Totals . 1,371,063 1,423,867 52,801 ♦Decrease in Sodth Island.

1929. 1930. crease. North Auckland 262,902 295,996 33,094 Auckland . . . 296,202 443,363 47.101 Gisborne . . . 279,771 303,895 24.124 Hawke’s 33ay . 166,215 177,603 21.388 Taranaki . . . .165,506 179,762 14.256 Wellington . 456,718 502,131 45.413 North Island . 1 ,727,374 1,902,750 175.376 South Island . 347,353 394,352 46.999 Totals. . . 2 ,074.727 2,297,102 222,375