CHINAS SEVENTY MILLION SHEEP.

Shannon News, 12 January 1923, Page 2

CHINAS SEVENTY MILLION SHEEP.

ENORMOUS OUTPUT OF WOOL. China, with Tibet, is said to possess 70,000,000 sheep, and the output of wool from these is about 200,-000,-0001 b in weight, or something like atwelfth of the world's output. Few people realise the large part China plays in the wool trade of ittie world, and with improved methods she mny yot play a still larger part. Her stock of sheep, enormous as it is, might easily be much larger, for there are in Mongolia enormous stretches of fertile pastures that would support larger Hocks than tUuey do now.

j The winters in this part of the ' world are very severe, and the wool j produced by tha sheep is both long < and of very line quality. ! There are* live big woo] markets in : China—Tientsin, Calgaii, Mukden, I I'aoljio and Tangkerh, the last-named ; being t'hc most important. ; | Some think that China may one day i rival Australasia as a wool-producing ! country, but there will have to be a : revolution in Chinese methods before that can be. i The Chinese industry is badly orI ganised, and mucin of the wool is : spoiled by ignorance. From some ! parts, for instance, the caravans arI rive with the sheeps' wool mixed up with goat and camel hair.

MANGAHAO HYDRO NOTES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) During the iholidays something akin to a cloudburst took place in these parts, and the deluge played havoc in several quarters. Quite a few slips long the road through the gorge are noticeable, and at least two are of large dimensions. In the sawmill region the bush tramline had a rough handling, and three of the bridges were washed away. In the vicinity of the entrance of the No. 1 tunnel a terrific volume of water lifted several sets of tramway rails and twisted them into all shapes, as well as forcing a large quantity of debris into the tunnel itself. The fan and motor were submerged by the flood waters. As a consequence of the repairs necessary, the tunnel contractors will not be able to resume operations until about Monday next. | Colonel G. Mitchell (secretary of the Wellington Provincial Development League) paid a visit of inspection to the works on Wednesday. The Colonel has been interesting himself in connection with the mail service to these parts, and local residents are hopeful that the Postal Department will arrange a more satisfactory mail transport to serve this community. _ Mr A. Cummings has taken up his duties as postmaster at the local post office. . Dr. McDonald has been appointed camp medical officer by the Palmerston North Hospital Board. The weekly sound of Ave whistles which announces the doctor's presence had not been heard here for quite a long time.