FIRST SHIPMENT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 December 1938, Page 3

FIRST SHIPMENT

SOUTH AFRICAN CATTLE FOR PHILIPPINES.

NEW EXPORT FIELDS BEING EXPLORED.

Government officials and private breeders in the Philippine Islands are enthusiastic over the stock lecently shipped there from South Afiica, according to Mr J. R. Freau, veterinary official at the Potchefstroom School of Agriculture and Experimental Farm, who was in charge of the animals on the voyage. This first shipment was bought partly by the Government and partly by private breeders. Before Mr Frean left a Bill had been introduced for a vote of £20,000 to buy further Africander cattle, and it is expected that many private ranchers will also take part in this shipment. The stock comprised 22 Africander cattle (15 bulls and seven cows and heifers), a few sheep and some Saasen and Alpine goats. They were bought in the Union by Dr M. Ferinas, a representative of the Philippines Government, with the advice and assistance of Mr A. J. Pepler, of Potchefstroom. The Filipinos require the cattle for breeding up their own herds of native cattle, which are far too small for their beef-breeding objects. Cattle previously imported from England and India were not entirely successful, chiefly because of the rigours of the climate of the Philippines and indigenous parasites.

In the Africander, however, they feel they have secured an animal ideal for their purposes. According to Mr Frean, the authorities there and the ranchers, too—there are many large ranches on the islands, which have a population of 14,000,000—were delighted with the quality of the animals. They held this opinion, although Mr Frean did not think that the Africanders were in good condition wh,en they reached their journey’s end. The trip took 50 days in the Boissevain, a tourist vessel, and for several days the animals were subjected to extreme humid heat. As a result of representations to the shipping company future shipments will be sent direct to the Philippines, via Batavia, shortening the journey to 30 days only. Mr Frean believes that the Africanders will do excellently. The native cattle of the Philippines are of the same type as the Africanders, and he did not see why cross-breeding should not be eminently successful.

Apart from the Philippines, Mr Frean did much propaganda work for South African stock in all the ports at which the ship touched —in. Hong Kong, Singapore, the Malay States, and Siam as well as Southern China. There was a likelihood, he said, of other fields of export opening up for the Union. At Manila the Philippines Government has a stock and quarantine station an institution somewhat on the lines of Onderstepoort, near Pretoria, and under its auspices and the Government generally Mr Frean lectured and was liberally entertained.