TRADING IN SHEEP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20366, 21 September 1929, Page 1 (Supplement)

TRADING IN SHEEP.

A QUESTION OF TO-DAY.

IJY MONA CORDON,

So the Commonwealth Government lias resolved against taking any measures lor prohibiting tho export from Australia of her finest breeds of sheep. It is a very serious matter this carrying of livo sheep across the seas in order to stock another country with animals of the satno strain as those thriving on the grassy stations of the Australian Continent. Tho process has been going on for some time, notwithstanding the petition of tho farmers; and; as may be imagined, it is a very remunerative one for those engaged Hi the tratfic. The animals, bought at current prices in New South Wales, aw) shipped across to South Africa and sold at enormous profit. South Africa, then, is the country benefiting by this trade in sheep; Australia is losing many of her fine breeds.

But the trouble does not stop there. Australia' is thus enabling South Africa to compete with her in tho world's wool market, and by selling -of her best is thereby stocking a country which may in tho futuro become a serious rival.

Now that tho question of traffic in sheep has becomo prominent in the Commonwealth—a question which cannot be raised in Now Zealand, lor we expoiL only in tho form of mutton —it may prove interesting to note the introduction of that useful animal into the country. It is hard to imagine Australia without her sheep; it is dilticult to think of New South Wales without a vision of white flocks strewn over her great grassy plains which seem to havo been made on purpose for their rearing. New South Wales has become so bound up with tho pastoral industry that the two terms seem almost synonymous. Drive her flocks from tho State over the furthest rim of tho horizon, over the blue hills of beyond and across the watershed of tho Darling—and what have wo left ? Sydney, building her bridge . Soon there would bo no moro Sydney, and the bridge, hanging suspended from either shore like the'mighty ribs of a dismembered dragon torn asunder in midair, would remain to mock a city drained of the power to subsist. That is not too much to prophesy of pastoral State onco her vast dealincs in tho world s wool market wore suddenly curtailed.

Australia's First Flock.

It is not impossible to conjure up a picture of Australia without so much as the ghost of a sheep. Turn your thoughts back—not so very far, to October 13, 1787, on which date a small fleet of eleven ships sailed into Table Bay and anchored beneath the shadow of its mountain. They formed the first consignment of convicts sent to "New Holland; they were to found Sydney, to begin tho colonisation of New South Wales; to makp and oil and set in motion the wheels of those mighty enterprises whose running is along tho level gradients of tho prosperity of to-day. For the long and arduous journey ahead, and also to stock tho new country for which they were bound, Governor Philip ordered stores both of livestock and provisions to be laid in. Wo can nicturo Mvnheer Van Graffe. the Dutch Governor of Capetown. entertaining the English officers at bis luxurious table, whilo the convicts, men and women, trroaned in their restricted area on board the transports, and cursed tho level ontline of Table Mountain clear-cut acainst tho African sky. "Meanwhile, those in charge of the commissariat were engaged in collecting a supply of poultry, meat, vegetables and livestock, " not less than 500 animals of different kinds " wo are told, for which they paid dearly, the Cape being in the throes of a dearth. " Naturally enough, tho ships excited the idea of Noah's Ark," continues tho narrative, and on November 12 the fleet set sail. Behold tho first horses and cattle, tho first pig and the first goat, not' to mention fowls, i't'cks. creese and t"rkev. and. aliove all, tho first and onlv sheep adventuring across tho ocean from that verv place to which, moro than 140 years later, wo find their returning as prize rams and owes.

Early Losses

Six months afterwards, when Sydney has started her existence, wo find an interesting inventory of the animals which the infant city then possessed, forming tho nucleus of tho fanning industry of New South Wales. Governor Philip. 0" liis return from an exploring expedition, " had the mortification to find that fivo owes and a lamb had been killed very near tho camp, and in tho middle of tho day. llow this hannened was not known, hut it was conjectured that they must have been killed by dogs belonging to tho natives. The loss of any part of the stock of cattle was a serious misfortune, since it must be a considerable time before it could be replaced." However, there remained a ram, 12 ewes and three wethers belonging to Government; one ewe and one lamb, tho private property of tho Governor; 11 sheep, owned by the staff; grand total, 29 for the colony of New South Wales; dated May 1, 'I7BB, at tho settlement of Port Jackson, and signed by Andrew Miller, Commissary. It is both strangfl and pathetic to read theso early annals of wealthy New South Wales; tho sufferings, the extreme poverty of these first ones who laid the foundations It is idle to speculate how far tho Governor's ewes and his little lamb strayed from the home field, not far from where tho present enormous concrete pile of tho Union _ Steamship Company' surveys from its height the mad rush of traffic in modern George Street. After all theso years wo find South Africa coveting those sheep, or. at any rate, the descendants of those with which she parted long ago under the.Dutch; ;nid it is not surprising to find Afrikanders or Dutch colonials engaged in tho remunerative practice of transporting them back'again. Could Macarthur, who did so much for Australia's flocks, come to lifo and survey tho many consignments of prizo animals crossing the Indian Ocean and the easo with which their valuable potentialities are conveyed out of his beloved Australia, lie would certainlv deplore tho action of tho Commonwen Kb Government and uphold the pastoralists for whom he stood.

Shepherds ol tho Deep

I travelled by tlio Capo route on a steamer whereon this very traffic was being plied. It was in the hands of two young Afrikanders, both anxious to marry, to which end they had embarked on a scheme of piloting sheep from one continent to the other. It seemed that they had made several journeys as shepherds of the deep. During the day tlicvy certainly might have been " out back, ' They wore khaki dungarees and loose shirts, and tho apparition of one or tlio other carrying buckets of water to the forehold at any hour of tho day was one to which everyone became accustomed, liv night, however, their labours finished, tlio shenherds blossomed into lounge suits and brillianfined hair; their clothes were immaculate, their swagger inconceivably English; they were tho society bachelors of the boat. ' Next morning, to dungarees and sheep-tending. It tool; them nearly all day. One of their old rams was worth £IOOO, somo of the ewes nearly as much. There wore 100 all told, insured only for the worth of tho ram—there was risk in it and a soico of adventure. The whole consignment was safely landed at Durban, swunc ashore in crates, and sold at a handsome profit. I think that everyone on board was glad to bo rid of those sheen, for they brought a plague of flios which did not leave tho vessel for days and were responsible for a thorough fumigation. " I thai! never carry sheep again, declared the captain; and, indeed, the practice should bo banned on passenger boats, if, indeed, Australia cannot see her way to pat a stop to it altogether.