THE CONDITION AND PROSPECTS OF

Otago Witness, Issue 2362, 1 June 1899, Page 34

THE CONDITION AND PROSPECTS OF

An old resident of Dunedin, who quite recently returned from Cape Colony after being there for about twelve months, was interviewed yesterday by a representative of this journal with regard to the prospects and condition of the country. The gentleman in question had seen a good deal of Oape Colony, and kindly furnished our reporter with the following particulars with reference to it. The country, he said, was in a very prosperous condition. A considerable quantity of wool was also exported from the oolcny. The sheep were, however, mostly in very small flocks, a man with from 200 to 500 sheep being regarded in the country as a large sheepfarmer. The colony was very thinly populated, but a number of railways \\erG being constructed which would open up the country, and have .the effect of increasing the population. Over two million^ were being spent in making new lines, one line about 200 miles in length, from King Williantßtown to Mossel Bay, being estimated to cost £678,000. Fully 3000 men were employed on that line. Another railway was also going to be constructed from Capetown to Caledon, ■which was about 50 "miles inland from Capetown. This was expected to cost about £60,000 or £65,000. The country was very bare at the present time owing to drought, and in one part that the gentleman interyieived passed * through — viz., the Karoo district, about 400 mileß from Capetown — they had had no rain for twelve months. In consequeuc-e of the drought sheep were very dear, a live sheep costing from 25s to 27s 6d. At Capetown the population depended chiefly on frozen mutton for their meat supplies, the price at present being lOd per lb. The whole of the frozen mutton came from New South Wales, from which colony there was a direct line of steamers. There was a very good opening for trade with New Zealand at the Cape. A large shop established there for the sale of New Zealand produce alone would do very well ;and there would be a ready sale of meat, butter, cheese, pork, hams, tinned meats, and jams. Owing to the drought, the question of irrigation had been forced upon the Government, who contemplated having surveys made and plans prepured for an extensive scheme of irrigation for different parts of the country. The Government had been induced to take the matter up in consequence of one farmer damning up a river himself, and irrigating his own land with very successful results. The whole matter has to come before Parliament next session. Produce of all sorts was very dear in Cape Colony, nearly everything being imported. Meat was also very scarce at present, owing to the rinderpest, which was very prevalent in certain parts of the country* An attempt was being made to discover sorrfe means of coping with the pest, which was causing great ravages amongst the cattle, more than two-thirds of which had been destroyed during the last three years. Medical experts had been imported from England with the object of investigating the matter, and they had tried inoculating the cattle,- but it was not yet known whether the experiment would have the desired effect. The sheep at Cape Colony were also the cause of a good deal of, trouble just now. They were very badly afflicted with scab, and there was a great disturbance going on owing to the Government compelling the sheepfarmers to dip their sheep. The country was at present to some extent opened up by railways. There was a line 1200 miles in length from Capetown to the Transvaal ; and also a line, of about the same length, from Capetown to Buluwayo — an exceedingly good agricultural and -pastoral country, with a great future before it. The Dutch element was very strong at Capetown. Although lhe colony was under British Go_- ■\ eminent, the people were virtually under Dutch laws. The relations between the Dutch and the British were, ou the whole, friendly. But a b'ttle jealousy existed on the Dutch side on account of the push and energy of the British residents. A thing worthy of note was that it was compulsory for Dutch to be taught in the schools, and no teacher would receive an appointment in the pchools unless he was capable of teaching that language. The country, as a whole, was exceedingly prosperous just now, and it had a ereal future before it.