§ Colonel Carverasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, as representing the Ministry of Food, how the rations it is proposed to allocate to horses under the new rationing scheme, compare with the rationing scale of the Army Remount Department for horses of a similar size?
Major Lloyd GeorgeThe supply of hay and chaff is not rationed. The maximum scale of rations of oats, beans and bran which are being allocated to urban horses under the new rationing scheme makes allowance for the size of the horse and also for the nature of the work performed. It is as follows: 1109W
Units per month Equivalent at present time to daily rate of lbs. Heavy draught horses 15 hands 3" or more 5 18⅔ Light draught horses, town horses, etc., used mainly in harness 15 hands or more 3½ 13 Less than 15 hands but over 13 hands 2" 2½ 9⅓ 13 hands 2" or less 1 3¾ Riding horses Hunters cobs, ponies, etc. used mainly for riding over 13 hands 2" ¾ 2.8 13 hands 2" or less ½ 1.87 At present the unit is one cwt. In issuing coupons to large establishments whose average usage is less than the full ration, an adjustment is being made.
Under the rationing scheme the normal allowance of cereals for medium and heavy horses engaged on agricultural work is 9 lbs. per day; this ration may on appeal be increased up to a maximum of 15½ lbs. per day for heavy horses on hard and continuous work. These allowances are calculated on the basis that there are certain non-rationed feeding-stuffs available on the normal farm.
The scale of allowances of oats for army horses is as follows:
Rations in Stables Oats lbs. Rations in Camps Oats lbs. Heavy draught horses 15 15 Horses of the Household Cavalry and horses of 16 hands and over in any unit with a strength of less than 20 horses 12 12 Officers Chargers, all riding horses and cavalry pack horses of 15 hands 1½ and upwards and light draught horses 10 12 Riding horses (other than officers chargers) under 15 hands 1½, and pack horses (other than above) 9 10 In addition to the above, an addition of 2 lbs. of oats to the ration may be authorised its cases where animals will be standing in the open during the winter or where units are undergoing intensive training.
1110W