SOUTH AFRICA.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15395, 28 September 1915, Page 4

SOUTH AFRICA.

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT. (SPECIAL TO "THE PREB3.") INVERCAItGILL, September 27. In tho operations in South Africa against tho rebel Boers and tho Germans, three sons of Mr R. C. Tennent, manager of the local branch of the Bank of New South Wales, took part. One of tho brothers —Captain L. C. Tonncnt —is a member of tho South African Union's Oversea Force, and the two other brothers —Messrs H. -'1 • and H. C. Tennent—are fit present spending a holiday with their parents, and havo sent in their names to tho local Defence Office for service with tho New Zealand Expeditionary Forces in any capacity. Jn tnc courec of a <-'bat with a "Southland Times" reporter, Mr H. 1. Tennent, who first went to South Africa as a momber of ono of the New Zealand contingent*, had something interesting to say about South Africa. During the military operations 45,000 men altogether wero engaged, and of these about 22,000 wero young Boers. This campaign certainly Jiad tho cttect of enlightening the backblock Boers, and they had acquired broader views, a fact that could not help but bavo a splendid effect. Mr Tennent said that ho was ontptyitically of opinion that South Africa had a great future before it, and they wero on.- the eve of a great period of prosperity when the war broke outThings at present, however, wero vory bad. Tho ostrich industry had been ruined, and the wattlo bark industry in Natal had fallen right away. Tho diamond mines hod also been closed down. Tho gold-'mininfi industry was going to continue big, and agricultural and pastoral interests wore being rapidly developed. Trial shipment® of frozen meat to Britain had been made, and ho expected that in a few years this would develop into a great industry. For som<? years past there had been largo impoitations taking place of stud sheep from Australia and Tasmania. During tho last six years or so the Boers had been consistently improving their forming methods, and this was due to a great extent to the competition they had to meet from British farmers. At one time disease had mado a clean sweep of the cattle in tho countrv, and strange as it might appear, that proved to be the saving of the cat-tle-raising industry. It had been found, after research, that the disease known a« cast coast fever, could bo coped with by dipping the cattle, and for other diseases remedies had. been discovered. The result was that farmers were now satisfied that they could imoort good classes of stock without tho risk of losing them. Mr Tennent mentioned that one of tho features in connexion with tho South-West African campaign was tho lack of sickness amongst the troops, who had been, however, inoculated against enteric and black-yatcr fever. General Botha had said that he was proud that he had carried tho campaign with the loss of so few lives. Out. of 45.000 men. only 230 had been killed, and probably nfat more than 30 had died from disease, which would no doubt have been the ordinary average in peace time. In Mr Tennent's recollection no illness whatever had been experienced. That was d*io to a great extent to the care regarding camp sanitation, and in insisting on cleanlirvs. That state or" things was very different to what had occurred during the Boer War, and it showed what strides medical science hed made in regard to military arrangements.