1920.] 



The Decline in Sheep Breeding 



458 



iiise that under the most perfect administrative system of control 

 which could be devised the fundamental fact remains, that State 

 hmitation of prices and official control of distribution means, 

 and must inevitably mean, the discouragement of breeding. In 

 saying this I do not suggest that State control was unwise or was- 

 not required in the national interests under the circumstances- 

 of the time. The decision to fix maximum prices was a political 

 decision, and in the case of sheep it was considered that official 

 control of supplies and distribution was consequential on the 

 fixing of maximum prices. I am not attempting to argue that 

 issue, but it seems to me highly important to realise that any 

 attempt to justify the system on the ground that it tended to 

 maintain home supplies must fail. 



I am well aware that the intervention of the State for 

 the object of maintaining our flocks and herds was advo- 

 cated, not only by the public, but even by farmers themselves- 

 at various times during the War. Pressure to take action in 

 this dii'ection and for this purpose began even in the autumn 

 of 1914. and was very persistent in 1915 and in later years. 

 Tn regard to the sheep-breeding industry the demand for 

 restrictions on the slaughter of lambs or of ewes was from time 

 to time clamorous. No doubt such demands had a plausible- 

 aspect to those who took only short views. But they overlooked 

 the real point on which the maintenance of breeding depends. 

 The question w^iich determines whether the sheep stock of the^ 

 country (apart from seasonal and accidental fluctuations) wdll 

 increase or decrease is the decision of flockmasters every year 

 as to the number of ewes they will put to the ram. If by some 

 arbitrary decree they are compelled to sell off fewer sheep at a 

 certain age or at a certain time than they w'ould otherwise have 

 done in the ordinary conduct of their business, their plans for 

 making up the ewe flock will be altered, and the net result over 

 the whole country will be that fewer ewes will be put to the ram 

 and the stock of sheep will be consequently reduced. The fact 

 is, tlr.it fj-om the point of view of maintaining the flocks of the 

 countrv th'^ State must do one of two things — it must either leave- 

 the business alone or control it altogether. If the State chose 

 to take over the management of all the flocks, with all that this 

 implies, it could then determine — regardless of economic consi- 

 derations — how many ewes should be put to the ram each year, 

 and thus control production, so far as Nature allows. But unless 

 it is pr(>pared to do this the control of prices and of distribution 

 must in the long run reduce the number of sheep kept. 



D 



