INSPECTION OF STOCK, (ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE INSPECTORS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1889.)

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1889 Session I, H-15a

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1889. NEW ZEALAND.

INSPECTION OF STOCK, (ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE INSPECTORS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1889.)

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Auckland Distbict. Sib, — Sheep Inspector's Office, Auckland, 18th May, 1889. I have the honour to furnish herewith my annual report for the Auckland District for the year ended the 31st March, 1889. All cattle within the district are healthy, no disease having come under my observation or been reported from subdivisions in the district. No disease is known to exist in sheep, with the exception of one small lot of 230, the property of W. F. Porter, of Miranda. On the 28th March these were reported to have again broken out. They are a portion of the same flock that were infected last year, and run upon swampy, scrubby country, known as the Sandspit Paddock. This outbreak is without doubt attributable to scabby stragglers having been left out on country when the flock was previously dealt with. The flocks infected at the Thames last year are now thoroughly safe. They have been inspected several times both before and since clean certificates were granted, and have proved clean. A systematic and thorough inspection of all flocks within the district has been carried out, together with a close supervision of all sale-yards. Did any disease exist except where known of, it must have been seen by now. The number of sheep in the district for year is 314,480, as against 299,479 for previous period, or an increase of- 45,000 for the twelve months. Both clip and lambing were reported to be above the average. No sheep were boiled down. There were 6,438 sheep and 3,259 lambs, or a total of 9,697, frozen for export dining the year. No sheep were imported from foreign places. About 2,000 were exported to Fiji and Samoa. General Remarks. —My appointment to the district being of comparatively recent date, I am not sufficiently acquainted with local surroundings to be in a position to state what improvement, if any, has taken place in the breeding of sheep or production of wool. With the exception of a very few merinos, all sheep here are either cross-breds or long-wool; and the numbers held by each owner are small in comparison with holdings in other districts, and these scattered over a very large area in proportion to the number of stock. Breeding (with the exception of a few owners) is, as a rule, paid very little attention to, with the consequence that inferior stock and lighter fleeces are more common than should be the case were more attention paid to this matter. A slight increase in the area utilised for depasturing purposes has taken place during the year ; and I have observed that Natives are taking sheep far back into the King-couzitry. I have, &c, Ben.t. P. Bayly, Inspector. The Hon. the Minister of Lands (Stock Branch), Wellington.

Napieb Distkict. Sib, — Sheep Inspector's Office, Napier, 3rd May, 1889. I have the honour to make my report on this district for the year ended the 31st March, 1889. The general health of the stock in the district has been good. Cattle. —I have no special remarks to make under this head. Sheep. —The health of the sheep during the year has been exceedingly good. The last winter was exceptionally fine and mild. There was a very good lambing—considerably over 70 per cent.—and the finest clip of wool that there has been for years. Owing to the dry winter there was very little lungworm, except on country that^was overstocked. At present the country is in a deplorable state from want of rain, and I am afraid there will be heavy losses during the winter among hoggets and old sheep. This has been the fourth dry season in succession, and even during the winters the ground has not had a thorough soaking. There were 208,335 sheep frozen; and 33,893 sheep boiled down or

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preserved. There have been no exports or imports, though a large number of sheep—l74,ooo— have gone from this district into other districts in New Zealand. I have, &c, E. C. Pasley, Inspector. The Hon. the Minister of Lands (Stock Branch), Wellington.

Wellington-West Coast District. Sir,— Sheep Inspector's Office, Wellington, 13th May, 1889. I have the honour to report that for the year ending the 31st March, 1889, there were 16,614 sheep preserved, 229,466 frozen, and 20,238 boiled down, or a total output for exportation of 266,288. No sheep have been received from outside the colony, but the West Coast district has absorbed 89,285 from Hawke's Bay. These sheep are being chiefly used in stocking up newly-grassed bush lands. ♦ The health of all stock may be generally considered as satisfactoiy. Scab. —The last appearance of this disease having been on lands in the vicinity of the Three Kings, Wairarapa North, two men were employed during the past summer to scour out this country, with the satisfactory result that no traces even of wild sheep could be found. It may therefore be fairly assumed that this disease has been finally eradicated in the Wellington Sheep District. Autumn dipping having become almost universal, the number of sheep affected with lice is comparatively small. Lung-worm is still the cause of considerable mortality among young sheep, and will continue to be so until fiockowners realise the importance of providing clean pastures, and adopt a more liberal treatment of young stock. The attention of owners has been directed to the presence of tuberculosis in cattle. It is evident that legislation should be provided for dealing with this disease, for it is certainly injurious to the increasingly-important dairy-industry of the colony. I have, &c, B. Clifton, Inspector. The Hon. the Minister of Lands (Stock Branch), Wellington.

Marlbokough-Nelson District. Sik,--- Sheep Inspector's Office, Blenheim, 17th April, 1889. I have the honour to furnish my annual report upon the district under my charge, and the health of the stock therein, for the year ended the 31st March, 1889. Since taking charge, the greater portion of my time has been taken up in superintending the destruction of wild and other sheep in different blocks of country —namely, Tophouse, Eed Hills, Mount Patriarch, Beeby's Knob, and D'Urville's Island —which has given me little or no time in other parts of my district; but, upon the perusal of my Sub-Inspector's diaries, I find the health of stock generally good. Cattle. —No disease has shown itself in either cattle or horses, neither has any been reported to me. Slieep. —The flocks within the districts are free from scab, but I have one flock still on the infected list—namely, Mount Patriarch. This flock I examined on the 9th March and could not detect any sign of scab, but witheld a certificate in consequence of scabby sheep being killed outside the fence on the 28th February by the wild-sheep hunters. Several cases of lice have been reported, and the flocks clipped. Season. —My experience of the season, and the general opinion, is that it has been very good, there being abundance of feed. Wool-clip. —From my knowledge, and from information received, the wool-clip has been up to that of previous seasons. Lambing. —It is the general opinion that the lambing season of 1888 is quite up to that of previous seasons. Frozen Meat. —There are no works in the district. Boiled down or Preserved. —During the year a total of 20,527 sheep have been boiled down or preserved. The numbers cannot be got at separately, owing to portions of the same sheep being boiled down or preserved as quality permits. I am not aware of any stock imported or exported in this district. I have, &c, T. G. Bichardson, Inspector. The Hon. the Minister of Lands (Stock Branch), Wellington.

Canterbury-Kaikoura District. Sir, — Sheep Inspector's Office, Christchurch, 22nd April, 1889. I have the honour to forward my annual report for the year ended the 31st March, 1889. Stock. —The general health of stock during the past year has been good. Lung- and intestinalworms have not been prevalent, while, as dipping is each year becoming more general, there is a marked improvement as regards lice and ticks. A slight outbreak of scab occurred at Kaikoura recently, which, however, was promptly dealt with. This disease is now confined to a comparatively small area of extremely difficult country at Kaikoura, and the measures^now being taken will, it is expected, shortly stamp the disease out finally. It is satisfactory to note that no new disease, either in horses, cattle, or sheep, has made its appearance.

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The season has been most favourable for the sheepowner—an exceptionally mild winter, followed by an early spring, produced the best-grown clip of wool and the heaviest percentage of lambs known for some years. An unfortunate exception to this has to be recorded in the Mackenzie Country and the back country as far north as the Eakaia, where a succession of severe storms in July caused serious losses of sheep, damage to wool, and poor lambings. The number of sheep returned on the 31st May, 1888, was 4,837,157, being a decrease of 125,319 on the previous year, owing mainly to the bad lambing in the spring of 1887. It is expected that, notwithstanding the largo number of sheep frozen and boiled down, the next returns will show an increase. The number of frozen carcases of mutton exported was 327,652, being an increase of 11,197 on the previous year. The number of frozen carcases of beef was 669. _ The number of sheep boiled down or preserved was 33,092. There were exported to the Australasian Colonies and Calcutta—horses, 342 ; cattle, 13; sheep, 15 ; pigs, 51; dogs, 106. There were imported into the district from the Australasian (Jolonies—horses, 3 ; cattle, 1; sheep, 75 ; pigs, 2 ; dogs, 4. Complaints of sheep stealing are becoming more frequent, which tends to show that some alteration in the law relating to brands and earmarks is desirable. .1 have, &c, E. Fosteb, Inspector. The Hon. the Minister of Lands (Stock Branch), Wellington.

Otago Disteict. Sm, — Sheep Inspector's Office, Dunedin, Ist May, 1889. ■ I have the honour to forward my annual report on stock in the Otago District for the year ended the 31st March, 1889. With the exception of the loss of a few horses and cattle in the immediate neighbourhood of Winton, from some cause not fully accounted for, but which has recurred for the last three or four seasons about Christmas-time, the health of stock generally has been very good, and no disease reported to me. Lambing. —This was above the average on farms and low country generally, but owing to the exceptionally heavy fall of snow in the high country in the interior, and a cold spring on many runs, the percentage was very low. The general average throughout the Otago District would be about 65 per cent. Clip. —This has been strong and bright, but light in the grease. Several stations report a greater number of bales in proportion to sheep shorn than they have experienced for years. Lice. —Dipping being now so general, very little plucking is to be seen, and all Sub-Inspectors have been instructed to vigorously enforce the Act. Lung-worni. —The local Inspectors report that up to the present this disease has hardly been noticed, and owners of sheep being fully aware of the necessity of providing clean pasture for the weaners, and that prevention is better than cure, I do not anticipate much trouble from this parasite. The natural pasture is leported as abundant from all parts of the district, and, notwithstanding the exceedingly dry summer, artificial grasses have made good growth recently, and turnips will not be such a failure as at one time was anticipated. During the year ended the 31st March, 1889, 237,882 frozen carcases (being 12,347 less than previous year) were exported from the three ports in this district—namely, Dunedin, 134,091 ; Oamaru, 63,103 ; Bluff, 40,688 —and 60,000 were preserved, being an increase of 13,483 on previous year ; and 95,347 were boiled down, being 34,197 less than previous year. There were 124 animals imported into the district and 50 exported, as against 109 imported and 180 exported in the previous year. I have, &c, Alpeed Douglass, Inspector. The Hon. the Minister of Lands (Stock Branch), Wellington.

Appendix A. Comparative Statement of the Number of Carcases of Frozen Mutton exported from the Colony during the Year ended 31st March.

1884. 1885. 1886. 1887. 1888. 1889. .ucklanrl I apier Vellington 'icton jyttelton lamaru )unedin (luff... 7,968 9,003 46,803 89,089 130,436 15,950 121,627 18,561 132,700 137,964 19,913 157,800 140,302 155,057 209,785 9,697 208,335 229,466 80,920 161,462 32,250 235,631 316J466 327,652 63,103 (134,091 1 40,688 86,781) 1.6,297} 133,964 91,255 153,321 250,229 247,772 491,066 574,192 706,967 931,526 1,013,032

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Appendix B. Comparative Statement of the Number of Sheop in the Colony, returned annually under Section 21 of "The Sheep Act, 1878," on the 31st May. 1879 11,693,911 ] 1884 ... ... 13,978,520 1880 11,530,623 1885 14,546,801 1881 ... ... 12,190,215 1886 ... ... 15,174,263 1882 ... ... 12,408,106 1887 ... ... 15,155,626 1883 ... ... 13,306,329 1888 ... ... 15,042,198

Note.—The return of all slieepowners, and number of sheep and lambs on 31st May, 1889, showing the county in which owners reside and their sheep are depastured, so far as the information is supplied in the Schedule "A" furnished by sheepowners under section 21 of "The Sheep Act, 1878," will be published in the New Zealand Gazette as soon as the returns are complete.

[Approximate Cost of Paper.— Preparation, nil; printing (1.550 copies), £2 95.]

By Authority: George Didsbuby, Government Printer, Wellington.—lBB9