AFRICAN EXPANSION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14446, 5 November 1917, Page 3

AFRICAN EXPANSION.

■*\ An interesting, letter has been received from a well-kiiown writer m Johannesburg, which, discusses a number-of g-t'ter--.---the-war problems. He writes: Up to the outbreak of the war we were importers of agricultural produce, .meat, wheat, buttfer, and sugar. Henceforth we shall be exporters of all' these 'articles, aSsy-well as maize,- and possibly ham and bacon. We want to keep German South- West Africa, and *0..d0 so, we must: '.be' prepared, iitoi give' an undertaking -not to v put on '. tariffs which will penalise tlie trade of that territory with other countries, particularly with the United States; If ihe Gei-mans are excluded from Africa as the result .of . the, , war -it - is^ uotvunlikely that one of the conditions will be that the rest of the world are not to: have their tr&de with' these areas liarnpered by preferential tariffs. This will, oi* course, apply the German possessions m the Pacific; m Avhich Australia is so much interested. It is almost certain that there will.be intense commercial development m Africa after the war, and that the Cape to Cairo railway -will- be taken seriously m hand, as what has hitherto been the main obstacle — German - East Africa-T---will have ceased to be German. I see a reference m the Near East to the ''Cape to Cairo railway becoming the qjuickest route from Australia to Europe. Has such a development ever been considered" on. your* side? "' " The most striking recent development here and m Rhodesia is that of cattle ranching. People m South Africa have suddenly awakened to the fact7that dipping has'- made cattle--breeding ' fairly safe an areas infected with ticks. Already the Chartered- Co. has ranches carrying 60,000 head", and Liebig's 40,0007 There are numerous others,, and South Africa will be exporting "beef m large quantities m the near future. No winter is required. Cattle become fat, v'and remain fat-Tall through the year by grazing m th£ open country — one head to four or five- ftcreg., t . \ -.. - .