1921.] 



Licensing of Stallions. 



603 



latioiis was also reported to the Ministry by the Pohce, who took 

 proceedings for oftences under the Act and in the great majority 

 of cases convictions were obtained. 



It is evident from the working of the Act during the second 

 year of its operation that the necessity of having staUions hcensed 

 and of the hcences being carried by the grooms when leading 

 the stallions is now generall}^ recognised, and the plea of 

 ignorance, which was so common last year, was but seldom made 

 during the past season. 



It is of course premature at present to expect any good results 

 to be noticeable from the operation of the Horse Breeding Act, 

 but the Ministry has evidence that owners of licensed stallions 

 no longer suffer as they used to do from the competition of the 

 unsound stallion w^hose chief qualification, in the estimation of 

 the careless and ignorant farmer, was the cheap fee at which it- 

 travelled, and the clearance of such stallions from the road must 

 in course of time secure improvement in the Horse Breeding 

 Industry. 



It should be added that licences issued for the licensing year 

 1921 w^ill expire on the 31st October, 1921, and should be returned 

 to the Ministry as soon as possible after that date. Failure to 

 comply with this requirement renders an owner liable to a fine 

 not exceeding £5. From the 1st November, 1921, applications 

 may be made for licences for the year ending 31st October, 1922, 

 and as the Ministry cannot undertake to examine stallions at 

 short notice, owners are advised to send in their applications at 

 the earliest possible date. If many defer doing so till the service 

 season approaches it will not be possible to deal with all applica- 

 tions before the season actually commences. 



It should also be noted bv owners of pony stallions, that an 

 alteration has been made in the Regulations, whereby the licence 

 fee will hencefoiih be one guinea, no reduction being made as 

 hitherto in favour of pedigree stallions not exceeding 15 hands 

 in height. 



