MOVEMENTS OF STOCK

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 33, 11 March 1930, Page 2

MOVEMENTS OF STOCK

TRANSPORT 'OF HAWKE'S BAY EWES BY RAIL. LARGE NUMBERS BEING SENT. Extensive movements of stock, necessitating the constant running of railway truclis and waggons, are a't present being made on railway lines in the Auckland provincial district. Apart from the usual stock traffic at this time of the year, the Railway Depart-, ment has to cope with the transfer of large number of ewes from Poverty Bay and Hawke's Bay to the Waikato district. According to Auckland papers, the seasonal movement of breeding ewes from Poverty Bay and Hawke's Bay is now at its height and the Taneatua railway lias become the principal source of communication between these districts and the Waikato. Although eminently suitahle for breeding purposes the East Coast areas do not' offer the facilities for fattening wln'ch exist in the Waikato. It is the practice every year to drive or transport large number of Romney ewes to the Waikato, principally for the purpose of orossing with Southdown rams. The fattening of lambs for the export trade is not carried out to a very large extent in the Poverty Bay and Hawke's Bay districts and every year there is a surplus of breeding ewes, which requires to be moved to other areas. These ewes range from twotooth ewes to aged ewes. In the past it has been the practice either to drive the ewes overland or to forward them by steamer. The extension of the East Coast railway to Taneatua lias resulted in the patronage of the railway for this purpose. Formerly much of this stock would he taken on the Gisborne railway as_ far as Motuhora and from there driven overland to Rotorua and other districts. The driving of stock overland did uot improve the condition of the animals, whi'le it was a more costly business than trhnspoi't by rail. The railway now takes the stock from Taneatua . over the Thames line and even as far as Tirau on . the Rotorua line. Use was made of the railway hue last year, but this season has seen tar greater movements of stock. First consignments were liandlcd about the beginning of February and there will be continual movement until the end. of March. Special trains have been leaving Taneatua with as many as 3500 sheep a trip. It is estimated that from 60,000 to 80,000 sheep have already passed through.