The Detroit times., 1915-02-23
war DRAIN ON
HORSE SUPPLY
GROWS GREATER
Thousands Sent From u. s.
Shores Weekly. "Horse Fam
Inc" Predicted
PRICES HAVE DOUBLED
SINCE HOSTILITIES BEGAN
s. p. c. A. Tried to Have AMI
mails Made Contraband to
Stay Their Slaughter

NEW YORK. Feb. 2s.-The steam
ship Verona took away irom this port
recently ESQ horses as part of an or
der for 10000 placed In this country
by Italy. wednesday the ship Shen-
andoah. under the British flag. sailed
with 500 horses. for use in the Eng
nsh army.
Since the European war began, last
August, expert dealers figure that CO.,
900 American horses have been ex.
ported to Europe. and about 10000
mules. Orders are being filed and
other orders going begging which de-
mand about 10000 more.
\ Greece has recently come into the
market with France. England and
Italy. bidding for American horses,
and II Germany, Austria and Turkey
had free path OF the sea the de-
mand from that source would also be
enormous.
These are the facts that indicate
a threatened horse famine In Amer
lea. The horse, apparently contempt
uousiy tossed into the ditch of time
by the motor car and the curtailment
of racing, rears its head again.
The price OF horses has doubled
since last. August, and after foreign
governments buy their horses they
have to pay from $50 to $50 apiece
for passage.
"And II the war should stop this
spring, or whenever 1t does," said
Frederick Wagner, president OF the
Fiss, Doerr a. Carroll Horse Co., "the
- h-~
would be worse, because the inhabi-
tants of the countries that had been
at war would have to resume their
normal occupations. Immediate re-
sumption OF agriculture would be q
necessity.
"Their own horses having been
commandeered and for the most part
slaughtered, they would have to turn
for the purchase of horses here. With
the war over, the seas would be free
to all nations and that would mean
that Germany and Austria would be
In our markets as well as the allies.
Sweden and Norway have always
bought horses from us. The African
horses--Arabs and Berbs-are useless
for industrial purposes, and the
splendid breed Of Flanders will have
been about exhausted by the sweep
ing drafts made upon this stock.
The demand Of the European
agents will bring decided pinch this
spring In the south and
southwest, where the foreign orders
have been filed. The Negroes of the
south, their mules idle for the winter,
have been carried away by the fat
prices offered and agriculture In some
of the southern states may be serious
ly embarrassed.
These horses that are being taken
away from the country In such large
numbers are the class for which there
is the present greatest demand. Thor
oughbred, hot-blooded horses are not
wanted. II is the rugged, plodding
animal that is required. These are
horses to be used for dragging heavy
loads over rough roads In the war
country.
Modern war has knocked the horse
out OF most Of his old heroic roles
or course there are still the cavalry
regiments, but the modern officers
whiz around in automobiles and dc
much of their work over the tele
phone"
s There has not been q lack OF senti
ment which reyolted at the idea Of
American horses being sent to the
European slaughter-pens. New Yorh
horse dealers say that In some In
stances their consignments have beer
shipped only after definite under
standing that the horses should mo-
be sold for war purposes.
Supt. Horton. Of the Society for The
Prevention OF Cruelty to Animals, In
terviewed. said:
I'VE would prevent the shipment, o
American horses to the old world bat
tie fields IL we had the power, bu
we have no means Of interfering
When Senator Hitchcock was intro
ducing hts resolution In Washington
defining what articles Of export Nigh
be regarded as contraband, this SO
ciety did all In It's power to have hin
include the horse. But In Washing
ton II was said that to deny the righ
Of the nations to purchase and shil