858 



Ltcensinc of Stallions. 



[Dec, 



The International Labour Office quote figures issued by the 

 United States Department of Agriculture which show that as 

 Fall in Agricultural ^^^P^^^^ ^^^^ 1916 (the year preceding 

 Wa es in the ^^^^ which the United States entered the 

 TT -1. J «i 1. war) farm wages had increased by 100 per 

 United States. . • ^nnr^ . u i • i 4. 



cent, in 1920. These rates Mere the highest 



recorded, and during 1921 they fell by about 35 per cent., 

 leaving wages only about 30 per cent, above the 1916 level. 



* * * * * ■ 



LICENSING OF STALLIONS UNDER 

 THE HORSE BREEDING ACT, 1918, 



SEASON 1922. 



The Horse Breeding Act of 1918 has been in operation since 

 1st January, 1920. The main object of the Act is to prevent 

 unsound stallions being travelled for service and there is every 

 reason to think that this is now being secured. Applications for 

 hcences to travel must be made to the Ministry between 1st 

 November and 31st July, and all licences expire on the 31st 

 October following the date of issue. 



The diseases and defects prescribed in the Horse Breeding 

 Eegulations of 1919 for England and Wales as rendering 

 stallions unfit for the service of mares are : — roaring, whistling, 

 sidebone, cataract, ringbone (high or low), bone spavin, navicular 

 disease, shivering, stringhalt, and defective genital organs. The 

 returns given in Table II show that the first three named dis- 

 eases or defects are the most prevalent. 



The number of stallions which were licensed by the Ministry 

 during the year ended 31st October last was 3,479, of which 

 3,129 were pedigree horses, the remainder not being entered, or 

 accepted for entry, in any recognised stud book. In 165 cases 

 applications for licences were refused by the Ministry. An 

 appeal against the refusal of a licence was lodged under para- 

 graph 12 of the Eegulations in 28 cases, and 12 of the appeals 

 were successful. 



As in the preceding year, the Police co-operated with the 

 Inspectors of the Ministry in securing observance of the Act by 

 stopping stallions on the road and requiring the production of 

 licences by the stallion leaders. Proceedings were taken by the 

 Police in several cases where offences were proved, but there 

 were fewer prosecutions than in previous years. It seems 

 reasonable to assume therefore that evasions of the Act are 

 diminishing. 



