Ernest Edward Perley
Conservative (1867-1942)
Mr. E. E. PERLEY (Qu'Appelle):
When the house adjourned yesterday evening I was about to quote from press reports from Saskatchewan with respect to stock mortality. I was invited to read some of the reports and I shall now take a moment or two to review some of them. I have before me an extract from The Indian Head News of December as follows:
Stock Mortality Matter of Alarm in Municipality
Actual Facts Show that Hundreds of Horses Succumb
Deaths among farm horses of this municipality run into the hundreds, due to lack of feed, . . . The situation is acknowledged as extremely acute by the R. M. council, . . .
Reeve S. W. Nichols, in touch with the actual situation, informs The News that the rural council is doing all it can to cope with the problem. The mortality rate is very high among the district's horse population, with some farmers losing over fifty per cent. One farmer, he told The News, had lost four out of seven of his horses.
Another one from the Regina Star of December 1 reads:
Horses Dying in South for Lack of Feed
Snow and Steady Diet of Russian Thistle Proves Fatal to Animals
Notices in post offices and other public buildings stress the necessity of disposing of stock owing to the acute shortage of feed. Farmers are being requested to budget their feed quota and dispose of the surplus animals lest the retention of live stock result in heavy losses this winter.
Lack of feed has already brought reports of horses dying in the south country.
Among the cases cited is that of Elmer Mithog of Verwood district,_ 70 miles south of Moose Jaw, who has lost eight horses . . .
Last night I referred to a resolution passed by the Grenfell board of trade and I wish to quote more extensively from it now:
And whereas the dairy farmers themselves, as well as the businessmen, of the town of Glenfell view with alarm the apparent necessity of cutting down the size of their herds fully realizing as they do that many of them will be forced upon public relief while at the some time their herds will have been cut to
IMr. Rinfret.]
such an extent that in many eases it will be impossible to rebuild them again during the farmer's lifetime:
Now therefore be it resolved that the government of the province of Saskatchewan, in view of the alleged supply of feed within reasonable transportation distances of the province, should forthwith take such steps as are necessary to insure the dairy farmers of sufficient feed for their herds for the winter of 1937-38.
After this resolution was passed, a letter from the Broadview board of trade was read asking for support along those lines.
Another dispatch by the Canadian Press reads:
Thirty Per cent of Horses in Southeast Dead or Dying
Saskatoon, January 8.-Thirty per cent of the horses in the Macoun, Midale, Halbrite and Goodwater districts in southeastern Saskatchewan are either sick, dying or dead of starvation.
Another dispatch states:
Horses Dying in Kronau District.
Subtopic: CONTINUATION OF DEBATE ON ADDRESS IN REPLY