ENGLISH SHEEP

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21226, 24 September 1940, Page 9

ENGLISH SHEEP

SAVING BEST BLOOD CANTERBURY PROPOSAL The saving of valuable stud stock was discussed at a meeting of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association executive when Mr R. C. Todhunter introduced a proposal to enable English stud sheep breeders to send their best blood stock to New Zealand for safe keeping during the war. Mr Todhunter said other countries had lost their fine stock altogether. “Take Spain,” he said. “They were famous once for Merinos. And what about Denmark and Holland? Where is all their stock? “It is going to be a huge job to restock the world after the war,” Mr Todhunter continued. He said while the demand now was for quantity first, after the war it would be for quality again. Further, it would benefit New Zealand to graze stock free of charge, keep up or improve the standard of its own stock, and then return the sheep to their owners. Mr T. A. Stephens said the British Government was alive to the danger and was removing stud stock to safe places. There was the Channel Islands tragedy to serve as a lesson. “It involves the lifting of the embargo,” said Mr E. S. Taylor (president). Mr Todhunter said that his idea was that the appropriate breed society would look after the stock of each breed. On his motion it was decided to draft a cablegram and suggest to the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, that he send it to the British Government if he saw fit, the cablegram to contain the conditions suggested.