San Saba County news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1874-19??, 1892-06-17
HORSES FOR A DOLLAR EACH.
Iasnsnss Droves OF Horses In Queens.
land Have Bseone NulIance.

Izamsnse Droves OF Horses In Queens
land Have Become NulIance.
No one can buy horse in this city,
says the Washington Star, which is
fit for any purpose for less than 500.
4 broken down car horse Is worth
nearly this amount A horse for q
groceTs cart in New York Chicago
or San Francisco will cost from $3.50
to 500. In Queensland, Australia
however, the horse market IS away
down A sound, well broken animal
can be bought for S.. Farmers in the
interior cannot afford to send horses
to Brisbane for sale because ordinary
stock will not bring more than 81. rs
per head. They shoot them instead.
And. what is still moro startling. they
pay at the rate of 81 cents per head
for having them shot
All Of these statements are strictly
correct The colony of Queensland is
now seriously discussing the advis-
ability Of passing a law imposing a
tax on all stations and authorizing
ME appointment OF inspectors to see
that all unlicensed animals are killed.
All over Queensland they are going to
keep down horses as we keep down
the superabundance OF dogs in the
city Of Washington. The same state
OF affairs holds in some OF the other
Australian colonies
Horse breeding in Australia was for
many years remunerative business.
A great demand was created by the
taking up and occupying Of new coun-
try, from the opening up OF new gold
fields and for the prosecution Of the
sugar industry.
Every one who had land began
breeding horses. Now the demand
has ceased. the sugar industry is de-
Ginning, the mining is stationary and
the owners of what was formerly new
country are sellers instead of buyers.
The consequence is that the whole
country is overnn with unstable
horses They cannot be eaten like
sheep and cattle and q boiling down
factory for the manufacture OF glue
and other products failed after con-
suming so 600 animals
Now, In a semi-wild state they
overrun the entire interior OF the
colony. The best OF them bring at
auction not more than S13 or $14 a
dozen. Property-holders in New South
Wales have relieved themselves Of the
burden on their grazing lands BY
shooting them. On the Barwon river
within two years between 60, 900 and
20. 900 head were destroyed, at a cost
to their nominal owners OF 25 Cd per
head. Queensland has now the same
trouble to fight A law entitled The
Marsupials Destruction Act is now In
force, directed against the kangaroos,
to check the increase Of these noxious
animals But a kangaroo skin is
worth 1915 in the open market at
Brisbane.
How much more need is there then
OF horse destruction act when horses
are larger animals, eat more ara more
than kangaroos and are
nearly worthless This is the question
which is agitating the property hold
ers Of Queensland at the present time
as is learned from the recent bulletins
Of the department OF agriculture OF
that colony. VIII it pay Australians
to ship these horses to the United
States? The passage to San Francisco
will take twenty days. The Pacific
Ocean at certain times is always
smooth. One OF the Australian steam
ships will probably carry from zoo to
l, 600 horses at a trip. The import
duty on horses and mules at present
IS $50 per head. It resolves itself into
4 question of water carriage.