§ Major Carverasked the Minister of Agriculture what were the total numbers of horses in France, Germany, and Great Britain in 1927, and for the latest year for which figures are available; and what publications are issued by his Department to encourage horse-breeding and the most up-to-date methods of horse transport on British farms?
§ Mr. W. S. MorrisonExcluding army horses, there were in 1927 and 1936, the latest year for which information is available, 2,927,230 and 2,774,000 horses respectively in France, and 3,810,072 and 3,407,100 respectively in Germany. On the basis of the Census taken in 1924 and 1934 and the annual returns of horses on agricultural holdings, the number of horses, exclusive of army horses, in Great Britain is estimated to have been approximately 1,700,000 in 1927 and 1,150,000 in 1936. Regulations and notes for the Guidance of Heavy Horse Societies assisted under the Improvement of Live Stock Scheme and Handbook of British Breeds of Live Stock, a new edition of which is in preparation, are issued by my Department.