The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-01-19

Horses ON BaCCleIlclu WhaG h0U
Cross Does For Men.
WASHINGTON, D. C.-Letters
from Berlin, Paris and Vienna have
contained frequent mention that the
only horses seen in those cities out
eide of horses in the military service
are old and decrepit. War is great
DESTROYER of horses and the waste OF
horse life in this war will exceed that
Of many wars combined, writes a
correspondent of the Star. Though
petrol and motor have lifted some
nj the burdens of war off the backs
and shoulders of the horses their
loads are still heavy and winter cam
paigning winds, frost, slippery
footing, irregular rest and hard
work-will take fearful toll of these
gentle, faithful slaves of men.
One of the less melancholy things
about this war is the work OF the
ROYAL Army Veterinary Corps OF
Great Britain, which has extended rs
merciful operations to the war-worn
regions of Western Europe. In the
battle-stricken parts Of Belgium ana
France this force is known as the
Blue Cross Corps, and a recent writer
on this organization has said that II
does for the horse what the RED
Cross does FOR man; that the British
army is the only one in Europe maxi
ing a systematic effort to succor and
save wounded horses and that the
salvage has already been OF great
value to the British service. There
is an equine base hospital to which
are sent sick horses and horses in
iured in a way which permits of saw
ing them.
Horses Important Factor.
A shortage in the supply of horses
for cavalry and field artillery will
probably be an important factor in
the decision of the war, and it would
seem that Germany and Austria
should most and soonest feel the
pressure of a horse shortage. The
supply open to them is that which
was within their borders at the out
break of the war, while Russia has
larger supply of horses than any
other country in the world and the
allies have the whole world to draw
upon. At the beginning of the war
Germany and Austria had, according
to census figures, 100000 horses,
a large percentage of which were in
Hungary, a large horse breeding
country, and Russian successes
might isolate this section from the
main theatre of war. It should not
be understood that the number repre-
sents horses fit for military uses.
Many of them are too old or too
young. too small and too light or too
feeble. A hardy horse is required for
soldier purposes and when horses not
udTQy are uS0Q INC SlllClChNJ "
organization using them is low.
When the war was started the al
lies had an Immediately available
horse supply of 26,0OO,0O0 head, and
Of this number 100000 were in
Russia. The number of horses in the
United States is somewhat over 20
100000, and Canada, Argentina
Australia and Mexico are countries
having large supply Of horses
France was short of horses for artil-
lery and cavalry, and England was
short also, for in the latter country
the breeding of suitable mounts for
cavalry and of draft stock suitable
for artillery has been on the decline
in late years, and there has been a
considerable export trade in those
classes of horses.
Germany has been represented as
buying horses in Denmark, Sweden,
Norway and Switzerland, but the
supply of horses in those lands suita-
able for hard, heavy and constant
military use is small compared with
the need of immense armies.
France and Great Britain have
been buying horses in Canada, the
United States and elsewhere since the
first month of the war, and this de-
mand on sound and hardy horsefesh
Is reflected in this country in the
strongly marked upward trend OF
horse prices. Many thousand head
Of American horses have been bought
IN the great centers of st. Louis, Chi
cago, Kansas City and st. Paul, and
have been shipped to Canada for
uans-shipment to Europe. There
are plausible stories of horse buying