The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1919-03-07

many of them gold stripe
horses, are being given the
only kind of honorable dis
charge a horse can receive: sold to
English and other civilians to fill the
pressing need In this country's trans
port system.
We thought, in America where thou
sands Of these horses came from, that
the British army horse led as pre-.
gunners In the first line of trenches.
During those first months of war, when
British army agents were buying
horses in the United States, there were
| many who honestly believed the Amer
lean steeds would last about one week
In that inferno of shell fire.
| You should see the American horses
! now being brought to England from
| France If you ever believed the life of
| a horse at the front was hundred-tO-
one shot that death would come In the
form Of Hun shell. BY the hundred
fed quadrupeds are being auctioned
| OH TO eager buyers.
Many were in France four years
| many were wounded in action, but
were carefully cared for by the army
veterinaries and bear today the honest
cars Of battle as the memento of the
days when they helped win civiliza-
| TONS war.
One of the first lots sold went I'M
der the hammer at Wares Edgeware
road repository, about the middle of
December.
Victoria Cross the auctioneer shouted
when the first horse, black gelding,
was trotted out. Hes got two wounds
to his credit and is still going strong"
The geding was sold for about $3.50
American money.
Equine Losses Announced.
Major General Sir w. III. Birkbeck,
director of remounts In the British
army, has just announced the losses
among the British war horses during
the entire period Of the war.
During the last four months OF
1914" General Tirkbeck declared, "thf
armies in France lost IA per cent OF
| their horses, or about 3 per cent {
/ month. That period included the re
treat from Mons, the first battle of the
Marine, and the first battle Of Ypres
IN the following year the losses were
fourteen and half per cent for The
whole twelve months. In 1917 the
losses rose to IS per cent, 10 per cen
of which took place during the las
three months of the year, the balance
of the losses being chiefly owing t
the heavy fighting at Vimy Ridge
Passchendale, and the beginning o
night bombing"
During the last year of war com
.paratively few horses were lost: tw'
and half per cent being the officia
estimate. Among the British CONNER
cial firms something like 20 per cen
of the horses aIe always either sick 0
resting. as IN annual average, Will
the official British army reports re
veal. the fact that in France, due t
the careful attention of the veterin
aries, the usual average was bi
more than twelve per cent.
Whether America can profitably TO
low the accepted British system O
demobilizing army horses Is a gray
question With the present shortage |
ships and the pressing needs of Ell
ropean peoples for foodstuffs, togethe
with the mighty job of transportin
General Pershing's army home, 1t
possible that some horses must need
be either left behind or sacrificed, t
add somewhat to the already staggel
ing debt of war.
The British people have been tol
! that In all probability some thousand
of horses and mules in far-away Egyp
will have to be disposed of In one {
three ways: repatriation, destruction
or sale.
Oppose Shooting Of Animals.
There is strong sentiment agains
shooting the faithful animals. An
there are number of practical oil
stacles to such Il plan. The carcasst
of 100000 worth or horseflesh cal
not be disposed of simply by signing n
army order even though Egypt doe
afford wide wastes Of uninhabite