WEST AUSTRALIAN SHEEP

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 192, 15 August 1931, Page 20 (Supplement)

WEST AUSTRALIAN SHEEP

SATURATION POINT. The importance of breeding lambs by the highest quality for the export trade was emphasised by the West Australian Director of Agriculture, Mr G. L. Sutton, who indicated last month that the position with regard to the sheep industry in the western State was becoming acute. At present there were 10,000,000 sheep in West Australia, and this represented almost saturation point, as there w'as not sufficient money for development of more land. This meant that there would be ab0ut.2,000,000 or 2,500,000 sheep beyond the State’s requirements. The Controller of Abattoirs, Mr Golding, supported Mr Sutton’s remarks, saying: “Unless the surplus consists of lambs suitable for the British market it is not much use doing anything. There are huge areas suitable for breeding thir type of lamb, and if this is done there is no reason why we should not compete with other countries.” He said the lamb which brough. the highest prict was 14. weeks old, and weighed about 361 b. “Unless we can put this ty_e on the market,” he concluded, “I can see nothing in ; front of us but tragedy, unless we breed for wool again/'