SOVTH AFRICA 171 



was from Aberdeen-Angus cattle, with a strain of Devon. Its 

 condition was perfect, good butchering being another quality, 

 which it was welcome to see. The meat fetched 8|d. by the 

 side, and attracted a good number of visitors from outside the 

 market, including Sir Owen Philipps, K.C.M.G., the well-known 

 Royal Mail Steam Packet chairman, who has done so much to 

 further South African trade. 



P^'armers in all parts of South Africa are awakening to the 

 potentialities of the meat export industry, and various concerns 

 are being formulated to take up the business. The pioneer 

 concern, known as the Farmers' Co-operative Meat Industries 

 Limited, has increased its capital considerably to enter upon a 

 larger enterprise, and another large company, comprising some 

 of the best-known names in South Africa, has been formed. 



The generous offer of Sir Owen Philipps, to carry pedigree 

 stock from Britain to South Africa free of charge when 

 he took over the Union Castle line and obtained the renewal of 

 the South African mail contract, is undoubtedly having beneficial 

 effects throughout the Union. Instead of being bred for 



"trekking" purposes only, as in the past, bullocks are now bred 

 for meat, and there is great improvement not only in the quality, 

 but in the dressing, of the frozen article sent to the English 

 markets. 



Sir Thomas Robinson, the Agent-General for Queensland, on 

 behalf of the British Board of Trade, has been purchasing South 

 African meat as well as Australian, New Zealand, Argentine, 

 Brazilian, and Canadian, but the quantities since the beginning 

 of 1917 are not known, neither is the destination of the meat. 

 Over and above the purchases on behalf of the Government for 

 Great Britain and the Allies, there have been some small ship- 

 ments, sometimes 500 or 600 quarters, direct to London by the 

 Union Castle boats. The meat has fetched an average of 9d. to 

 lid. per lb. for hindquarters, fores selling in the usual cor- 

 responding ratio. In 1916, the export of frozen meat from South 

 Africa amounted to 17,687,121 lbs., valued at £354,341. All this 

 was beef ; there is no mutton going forward. Of the above 

 quantity, 4,297,313 lbs., valued at £75,399, went to the United 

 Kingdom markets ; the remainder was for Government contracts. 

 These figures show a great advance over those of 1915, when the 

 total export of meat from South Africa amounted to 6,056.435 

 lbs. valued at £107,362. England took 5,095,000 lbs., of the 

 value of £86,000. Complete figures for 1917 are not available, 

 but the total export of beef up to 30th June amounted to 91,263 

 quarters, this quantity including the Government contracts. The 



