DEHORNING

Hokitika Guardian, 19 December 1932, Page 7

DEHORNING

J.'/'A GREAT NECESSITY. Wit hin rthe Jalst 10 years wastage of hides, :due chiefly to careless branding, has . cost the Australian leather industry £8,000,000, states an authoritative article, appearing in a Sydney ■ calculation is hated on theT^isi ftpired opinion of the tanners’ organisation.

There is no reason to think otherwise than that New Zealand has lost in .proportion—perhaps more—because , *>ur cattle paddocks are smaller, thus< jiincrehsing the liability to damage by, fences, Tt pjrh'aps would Ire, difficult to reduce injury to a very marked 'extent to hides through this cause, or faulty handling of skins in slaughtering, but, the'qutsanding cause of the damage—the one responsible for 75 per cent, of it undoubtedly is horning. We often read ■correspondence letters in the pa.pers.from some unpractical city person about the “cruelty” of the practice,. If the’ cattle are treated when calves, the ' cruelty is ' negligible. This -ts : “di.sWhorning in preventing the growth of the horhs, as against dehorning the grown horn's. If this werp compulsory there would be no damage to hides when the animals mature, r ( Those whose work takes them .about,, the"snlcyards Cannot help but observe' ‘placidity and contentment and ; freedom from marks of the dehorned 1 cattle;compared to those retaining the, useless ornaments. Now that tjie; • Aberdeen-Apgus is coming into favour,, the.;value of the practice is become■. more emphasised. There cattle never show»the rips that so frequently mark the - hides of the other breeds, and the, 'contentment this is responsible for ,h;fs no inconsiderable effect on their* generii] appearance l , and consequently their' value.

Sciuie.t'en or twelve years ago there was' a.'strong agitation for compulsory dehorning, but the Government 1 is:tenod, to .organisations of people of the type. that frowned on sheep dogs because,.:, they miadie the sheep go out of ; a walk, and nothing was done. Hides were'fflicn of high value. To-day they ,ai*ebiOmost . valueless, ' land it is the wrong :’time to urge the reform onthat ;'account and also because of the general/ farming troubles. - It is to b e hopedf'lthat when, matters come right some move will - be- taken to , brihg,Shout the reform. Apart ."from the. 1 commercial aspect ! there is another one of which the ,oubhe ‘ are ’ frlequently given a painful reminder'. Periodically we. .read of some^Vfarmer— generally. .an elderly manitwlio is unable to escape—being gored'-by a bull, in many cases fatally, | beforeassistance arrives.to drive the,: i beast-j, 'off. With beborning general < *■' there/would b© little danger of serious j injyfrjy.KThosie organisations or in- j dividuals who labour under the I delusion that dishorning is cruel rather j ©veffeok ‘ this fact. ' . 1