3

H.—29a.

" (b.) That the prospect of shipping to transport this produce is, if anything, less promising than it was last year. The Board therefore recommend (i) that it is absolutely necessary, in order to ensure the freezing-space being occupied to the fullest extent with the primest meat, that the Inspectors in passing the meat purchased by the Imperial Government should be more strict as to quality, so that only a finished animal be killed; (ii) that to do this satisfactorily it is necessary that the number of competent Inspectors should be at least as many as last year. Several of these have been called up and are in camp, exemption having been refused. So important does the Board deem proper inspection that at least six Inspectors should be released from camp to undertake this work, otherwise the thirty-six Inspectors at present available will be insufficient. " (c.) That farmers should be warned that it may be impossible to freeze all the stock coming to hand, and that winter feed should, wherever possible, be provided to rear any lambs left over, and recommended to retain their best long-woollcd ewe lambs. " (d.) That second-class fat old ewes should be tinned if possible, and steps taken to obtain tinplates for use in this process by securing, if possible, a supply of British or American plates. " (().) That the Department of Agriculture be asked to inquire as to the available capacity for tinning meat at the various freezing-works in the Dominion, and that inquiries be made as to the price at which the British Government would be prepared to take over tinned meat in the same way as frozen meat." You have since notified us of the arrangements which have been put in train for the present meat-export season, and forwarded for our information a copy of the " Terms and conditions of the purchase of frozen meat by the New Zealand Government on behalf of His Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom." It is gratifying to note that such satisfactory arrangements have been made regarding this very important matter. Uniform Stud and Flock Books. In our report of last year we mentioned that it had been suggested to the Board that an endeavour should be made to arrange for a conference of the various flock, herd, and stud book authorities, with a view of a decision being come to, if possible, in the publication of one book where two exist at present for the same breed of animal; so that a better system might be secured of registering the purebred stock of the Dominion. The Board accordingly at its first meeting sent out to each live-stock breeding association throughout the Dominion the following letter : — " The attention of the Board of Agriculture has been drawn to the fact that there arc two stud-books in connection with draught horses in existence in New Zealand at the present time, and the Board think it is desirable, in the best interests of horse-breeding in the Dominion, that an effort should be made to consolidate these stud-books and have only one dealing with draught horses, with separate sections for each breed. " There are also two general flock-books in the Dominion in connection with sheep, ' and two separate flock-books for Romneys and Lincolns. In some cases the registered sheep in the South Island will not be admitted to the flock-book in the North Island, and it is certainly causing at the present time a considerable amount of friction and some injustice. " The Board think that in both these instances, if representatives of the stud-books and the flock-books were to meet together, some satisfactory arrangement might be made whereby this overlapping and unnecessary work might be overcome, and the Board hope that your association will take steps to send a representative to the next Conference of the Council of Agriculture to be held in Wellington in July next, when they understand the subject will be brought up by the executive of the Council for discussion." Perhaps the views of the Board will be best expressed as contained in the following motion which was brought before us : — " That the delegates of the various breed associations hold a joint meeting with the Board of Agriculture to endeavour to organize a National Live-stock Association with the objects (1) of bringing about a more uniform method of registering purebred stock in the Dominion, and (2) of preventing the shipment of animals of inferior quality calculated to bring discredit on the breeders in New Zealand." At the meeting which was held on the 12th July, 1917, representatives of the following stud, flock, and herd books were present : Draught Horse Stud-book; Clydesdale Stud-book; Shorthorn Herd-book; Jersey Herd-book; Friesian Herd-book; Angus Herd-book; Bomney Marsh Flockbook; Lincoln Flock-book; South Island Flock-book; North Island Flock-book. After a very exhaustive discussion of the subject, and in the hope of bringing the societies which were at variance together, the following resolution was passed : " That in the opinion of this meeting of representatives of various breeders' associations there should be not more than one association for each distinct breed of horses, cattle, sheep, or swine"; together with another important resolution in connection with the export of inferior sheep, as follows : " That this meeting of representatives of breeders' associations request the Board of Agriculture to ask the Government to take power to prohibit the exportation of inferior sheep for stud or flock purposes."