HORSE-RACING IN WAR-TIME

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3006, 17 February 1917, Page 10

HORSE-RACING IN WAR-TIME

Sir,—Apart from the "essential industries" question, when national servioo is introduced, and tints racing men will be engaged in work of liatioua importance, I am asking you to draw attention to the quantities of oats consumed bv racehorses, at least an aveiase of nearly a hundredweight a week (lolhs. or lGlbs. daily). In England, oats are beuig made into oat flour or oatmeal and mixed with the standard wlieaten flour, and if our New Zealand acreage in wlieat is as small as is recorded, wo shall be jolly glad to have oat flour to mix with our wheat ; or at any rate, wo can supply England. A«ain, the racehorses consuming so many oats keep the pneo of fowl feed very liigll, and thus vcrv . dear eggs and very dear poultry. keeps the price of oats at a very high pnee. and thus carters, contractors, and others who have to do, useful work lmvo to pay through the nose for horse ford, and they in turn pass_ it oil to others, and thus keen the price of living up. Tsran, chaff, and other_ horse food would also be less expensive to carters, carriers, contractors, and others if the racehorses were turned out to grass until the war is finislied and times havo