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1 Ocr., 1902.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 
The Horse. 
ARMY HORSES. 
If the war in South Africa has opened the eyes of the military authorities 
in England to the many defects of organisation and equipment of the British 
army, it has been no less effective in bringing into prominence the pressing 
need for a scheme by which a strong reserve of suitable horses for army 
remounts, not only for times of peace, but for the requirements of warfare, 
can be always ready for emergencies. The present system—or no system—of 
obtaining the needed supplies is antiquated and most unbusiness-like. _ Varions 
suggestions have been made, but none seem practicable. One of these sugges- 
tions is, that the Government should establish stud farms. Another is the 
establishment of State depdts. -A third is the purchase of all remounts at three 
years old, and a fourth an increase in price for five-year-olds. 
It is the third of these schemes which recommends itself to us. If the 
Government were to pay a good price for three-year-olds, say from £30 to £40, 
and place them in depdts where they could be trained for a couple of years, 
farmers would be induced to breed the proper stamp of horse for cavalry, 
artillery, transport, and mounted infantry purposes. As it is, what farmer 
would breed horses which he would have to keep for five years in idleness, 
costing him more in that time than he would eventually receive for them, when 
he can breed Shire horses, which he can sell at a good profit at almost any age, 
and which would be of use to him on the farm till a buyer came along? It is 
thus not at all likely that the Australian farmer will go in for breeding horses 
for army remounts, when he has such powerful inducements to raise heavy and 
light draughts. As for price, the Government price in India for horses sold to 
officers from the depdts is so high that very few officers avail themselves of what 
should be, under the circumstances, the valuable privilege of acquiring chargers 
through the depdts. 
Rupees.* 
The Government purchase price is —... cox oo HS 
Feed and keep for one year, say wee on oa | AYO) 
925 
(about £61). Yet the Government charge the officers from 1,050 rupees 
(about £70) to even 1,150 rupees (about £76) for chargers. The Horse and 
Mule Breeding Commission, appointed by the Government of India in 
1900-1901, recommended that the Government should not make this handsome 
profit at the expense of young officers, but allow the price to remain at 750 
rupees (£50) for subalterns and 850 rupees (£56) to all other officers up to 
the rank of colonel on the staff. 
From the report of the Commission we make the following extracts, which 
cannot fail to be of interest to horsebreeders in Queensland :— 
For the assimilation of war and peace conditions as far as practicable, the 
Commission suggest that Australian breeders should be encouraged in future 
to breed the majority of the horses for the Indian market as far as possible of 
one type, the weight-carrying hunter of sufficient blood and undeniable 
substance of height from 14°2 to 15:1. 
It is not intended to lay it down that suitable horses of 15:2 should be 
refused, but, as a general standard, a height of 14°2 to 15:1 should be accepted 
for all horses. The universal system of pole-draught at present obtaining in the 
horse and field artillery render this apparently not only feasible but desirable. 
*15 rupees = £1. 
