JERSEY CATTLE CLUB

Taranaki Daily News, 23 June 1934, Page 11

JERSEY CATTLE CLUB

MEETING OF COMMITTEE. SELECTIVE REGISTRATION PLAN. While expressing sympathy with a scheme for tightening the regulations in connection with the registration of calves, the committee of the New Plymouth Jersey Cattle Club decided at a meeting yesterday that the cost of the scheme as set out by Mr. J. B. Tonar, secretary of the Auckland Metropolitan Jersey Club, was too great to be entertained at present. It was suggested that the desired effect could be brought about by raising the registration fees. Mr. Tonar submitted that every breeder must admit it was injudicious to continue the present method of registering practically every purebred calf and unless they took steps to prove that their pedigree stock would be greater producers and more economical then grades would gradually become the dairy farmers’ cow. At present breeders registered calves from carefully line-bred and heavy producing parents and calves from inferior stock, often these sire, dam and progeny being weak in constitution and almost devoid of type. This was not just to the large number of progressive breeders and was unsound from a business point of view. Last month the British Government had decreed that all bulls used for breeding purposes must be registered and only animals that had been inspected and approved were licensed for breeding. This has been in force in Scotland and Ireland for some years and all bulls rejected in Ireland must be slaughtered on arrival in England. To be effective any scheme must be compulsory. If left to the opinion of the individual breeder the object would be defeated.

To inaugurate any scheme that would eventually mean an immense benefit to Jersey breeders in this Dominion many objections would have to be dealt with and overcome and they trusted that no breeder would object to the main principle of selective registration. The object of the club was to appeal to the New Zealand Jersey Association to give every consideration to the question of “selective registration.” Should this find favour with the council of the association they hoped a practical scheme would be introduced. If this eventuated the standard of New Zealand pedigree Ji seys both as regards production and type would be gradually raised. This they felt could only be carried out by preventive steps being taken to stop indiscriminate regi tration. Friesian breeders in Holland had in force a system of selective registration and so had several other countries in Europe. They’had been forced to admit that to maintain and improve any breed it was absolutely necessary to eliminate all animals that failed in type and constitution. This meant only breeding from animals that Were up to a certain standard. They had also discovered that by line or family breeding more uniformity could be secured. The Jersey Islanders by rigid selection had not only retained the vigour of their stock but the distinctive characteristic as regard type had been improved. The breeders in Holland did not consider pedigree alone was sufficient to ensure entry into their herd books. Their official inspectors culled ruthlessly without fear or favour. Animals that were not symmetrical and lacked constitution or development were not regarded as suitable for registration in the herd books and considered not fit for breeding purposes, no matter how fashionable their pedigree might be. The New Zealand Friesian Association in a report recently drawn up suggested that competent men be appointed to classify all cattle sold at disposal rales, all inferior animals to be excluded. This report went on to say: “This fails to go far enough. The tim* has arrived when the association should cease to accept for its herd book any and every calf that happens to be bred from pedigree parents. We reject certain calves on account of markings yet we are bound to accept all others regardless of type.” Mr. Luxton did not approve of any extra cost being imposed upon breeders at present. Reference was made to the Bell Block residents’ action in arranging matters in connection with the annual smoke concert in the Bell Block hall. There were present at the meeting Messrs. H. C. Sampson (chairman), E. Griffiths, A. J. Luxton and D. Ballantyne.