[To the Editor of the Srgervron.]
SIR,—I have read with much interest William J. Hodges' letter in which he discusses the possibilities of new industries in Aberdare. Could nothing be done to help the miners by the breeding of rabbits ?
Every year more and more fur coats are worn, and fur is used in countless ways for trimming coats, dresses, &c. The foundation of all cheap fur is, I understand, rabbit skins. A very large sum of money must annually be spent on skins, the greater part of this money being spent abroad in their importation. Could not this money be diverted into home channels ?
If a certain number of miners were started with, say, two good Belgian hares and feeding for the first few months, could not the money so spent soon become a profitable investment ?
The care of the rabbits would in the first instance prove an interest to the miners and employ a portion of their leisure time, and secondly when killed they would add to the food supply of the district. Thirdly, the skins would fetch money —and so, gradually, a profitable industry dealing with cleaning, dyeing and preparing skins would spring up, which would help in a small way to bring new life into the community. During the War I kept Belgian hares and know how easy these are to manage and how profitable they can be made.—
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