I am informed that I am entitled to speak on this section. I am interested, as a breeder, in this measure. I would have liked to have spoken on the Second Stage. When I found I was being eulogised by Senator Quirke, I began to think I ought to try and make up a speech. When this measure first came before the country, I was amazed to find that one of my best friends, Deputy Dunne, took up the matter, but I was more amazed to find that he was doing so on behalf of the unemployed. To my mind, if ever relief is to be brought to the rural community and to the unemployed, then no greater event has happened to this end than the purchasing of Tulyar. With all respect to Senator Commons, one of the best racehorse meetings we have is at Ballinrobe, and it will take him a while to secure a majority of people in his favour around there, because they breed very good horses which take a good deal to beat.
If I am not mistaken, the entire country is wrapped up in rural employment. In the 60 odd years that I can recall, the entire transport of the community has ceased to have any connection with horses. I can recall when every street and every town had its oats store and when oats was taken in to be consumed by horses which then formed the backbone of the community's transport. That has now ceased, and there is no other animal which will live so successfully on oats, or consume so much in proportion to its own well-being as the horse. For that reason, the more you can exploit the horse the better it is for the community, and these facts make me adopt the one course there is for me to adopt, namely, to support the purchase of Tulyar.
I think that I am correct in stating there is an annual return of something like £3,000,000 from bloodstock and I would be very nervous lest the criticism being voiced prevents the directors of the National Stud from pursuing the proper course which is to buy, if necessary, two or three of the first six horses that won the "Triple Crown" in the European community, be they French or English. An investment of £250,000 is nothing if the return is an annual income of £3,000,000.
There was some mention made about Royal Charger and the fact that there are rumours he may be sold. If Royal Charger can command anything like £100,000 at 13 years of age, the National Stud directors have done their duty well and truly, and are entitled to give more than £250,000 for one four-year-old. In addition to Royal Charger, you have Blackrock which in its first year of service was able to give numerous winners. What would Preciptic be worth to-day? He also had winners among his produce from his first years of service. Then we have Legend of Confey, one of Preciptic's progeny, who but for bad weather would have won at Haydock.
The men who bring in such horses at a first attempt are entitled to have first consideration and if the purchase of Tulyar proves to be wrong, let them double the figure of £250,000 to purchase another and better animal, because you would get that money back within three years. The bloodstock breeders are entitled to get consideration and are entitled to national prestige. Senator Quirke and the other Senators in supporting this proposal are doing their duty and putting right the wrong they did in hunting Blandford out. We must look at this purchase from the national-minded point of view and, if they made a mistake, I am pleased to see them rectifying it, and I weigh in with them. All I have to say is that the Stud Directors should be encouraged in every possible way and the money spent by them is spent in giving employment to labour.
