ECONOMICS OF EAST COAST FEVER. 21^ 



< »uin!4 111 the- ra sashes <<i the East L"t)ast l<"cvcr tlic district is gradually 

 bccoiiiinL; (K'nudod of cattle. 



I'^mm iiiforniation ac([tiire(l in conversations I Ijciieve the 

 loss in this district, in which 1 wDrk, to he in the neighlx aninjod 

 of 40,000. if, then, we sum tip the loss uf these hve districts 

 alone, we get the appaUing figure of more tlian 229,000 head 

 of cattle, and if we api)ly the valuation as made officially for 

 Ng(|eleni District, we find that this represents a loss of approxi- 

 mately one and a quarter million pounds sterling. 



South Africa has too long suffered for its lack ni popuki- 

 tion. and, moreover, for the want of capital to develop it> great 

 resotu'ces. Here at one blow the State loses one and a ([uarter 

 million poimds in five districts — and as yet we have taken no 

 thotight of the remaining i8 districts, all of which suffered 

 heavily from this scourge. 



Unfortunately, so far as I know, no record was ke])t of 

 the cattle in the Transkei prior to the i(;ti census, and so tlie 

 figures returned of that date represent the numbers of cattle 

 after the East Coast Fever had been at work for three years. 

 Ihe mtmlter given in \<)\ \ was 1,111.705 head. The numl)er 

 officially estimated in 1914 amounts to 434,063 head. As the 

 tide has now turned, and the herds arc on the increase, we are 

 entitled to bcliexe that this estimate only partially rej)resents 

 the actual loss ; but he that as it may. the difference Ixlween 

 these totals shows tlie decrease to be 677,642. Our estimate, 

 then, is quite inade(|uate. and instead of a million and a 

 quarter, we must write the loss at fotir million ])(junds sterling; 

 and if only one in four had offspring, the loss would be increased 

 to not less than five million pounds — lost for all time to the 

 services of the State, and the enjoyment of tlie htinil>le ]>easant 

 of the Transkei. 



It is a serious aspect (jf the existing situation that, e\en 

 where the progress of the disease has been arrested to some 

 extent, there a subacttte phase seems to persist, and as a result 

 a very small percentage of the calves outlive the first year. 

 Attention is now l)eing directed to this point by the experts 

 concerned. 



Meanwhile we must add to the capital loss the loss of the 

 increase, which is going on from day to day even now, and 

 more than that, the further increase which, in the course of 

 nature, would result. 



Census. Estimated.* 

 /. Transkei: 1911. I0i4- 



P)Utter worth 24.67<S 10.23(1 



Idutywa .^S-ZS'*^ 13.800 



Xqamakwe 47>39<^ .x>ooo 



Tsomo -T.973 -5-303 



Willowvale 4-2.3«^3 8,000 



Kent ani . . 37,7^^ 25.314 



''Annual Rciinrt. 1'ranskcian Tcrritorii-s General Council. i()i4. 



