SHEEP RETURNS.

Taihape Daily Times, 11 July 1918, Page 4

SHEEP RETURNS.

The Sheep Returns published by the Government Statistician show that to the 30th of April of this year the number of sheep in New Zealand have increased by 1,084,208. This is satisfactory, and it is probably the result of the difficulty in getting away frozen meat, together with the unprecedentedly high prices ruling for wool. The increase in North Island flocks is very small, but South Island breeders seem to have some purpose in view by the huge increase their flocks have made. North Island breeders have contributed 107,043 to the increase while South Island sheepfanners have added heardy a million to their last year’s holdings. Last, year South Island sheep numbered 10,703,259 as against the North Island’s 14,567,128; this year the figures are:—South Island 11,680,428; North Island 14,674,171, showing that the North Island farmers still have a preponderance of 2,993,748 — nearly three millions. The only sheep district in which a decrease has taken place is that of Auckland; there, flocks show depletion to the extent of 14,550; from a total of 1,983,310 in that sheep district. The Gisborne-Napier and the Wellington-West Coast districts carry :more sheep than any others in the Dominion, the figures being: j Gisborne-Napier, 6,804,435; Welling-ton-West Coast, 5,900,776. In the South Island the Canterbury-Kaikoura has 5,330,139 and the Otago district 4,948,284. The greatest increase for the year of all sheep districts in the Dominion?' is 'shown by the CanterburyKaikouraj Svhich amounts to 612,113; the greatest in the North Island is that of Napier, 71,552. It is distinctly gratifying to the people of New Zealand to know r that high prices have not resulted in disastrous depletion of flocks. Values ruling might have operated towards the slaughter of every animal that could be put into fit Condition, but farmers seem to have followed in 'the notable even tenor of their ways, sending to the freezer, their averagely normal output. By so doing they wall have no loss to suffer, for whatever else may collapse in value, wool is almost certain to further increase, if Governments do not step in and fix prices in the interests of the masses, who may feel an after-war pinch. The demand for wool must be very great after the war and prices must in consequence rule high; farmers have undoubtedly followed a course in their best interests by conserving their flocks as 'far'as possible under such tempting circumstances.