274 THE WORLDS MEAT FUTURE 



pectations of making a good vise out of the unearned incre- 

 ment, not with the desire to secure a good income from the 

 products of that land, and show little desire for real hard work. 

 As in all new countries, it is the man. young or old, who is 

 capable of turning the land to best account, either by hard 

 work with his hands or brains in directing his labour, who is 

 of the greatest value to the country. 



" Unfortunately, many of the settlers appear to think that by 

 habiting the land, by running a few head of cattle or sheep, or 

 by cultivating a small area, they are doing all that can be 

 expected of them. Many even do less than that. For these 

 men it has been fortunate that the land speculators have come 

 along and given them high prices, but it is unfortunate for the 

 next man who desires that block that he has to give the specu- 

 lator his profit and pay a price when there are few actual returns 

 from the property, in some cases no returns, to show what is 

 the real value of the place. Interest is at a high rate, and money 

 is borrowed from the private lenders at from 10 up to, I believe, 

 15 per cent, so that only high returns from the farms would 

 justify the prices, from £2 up to £3 per acre, which are paid for 

 grazing propositions. 



" Taking a rough and rapid survey of the position, it means 

 that the country even yet has not settled into its stride. Some 

 few, probably thirty, in British East Africa, are doing well out 

 of coffee. Some few — probably a dozen — are doing well out of 

 sisal hemp. Others make returns from butter, the sale of sur- 

 plus cattle and sheep or produce. 



" At the time of my former visit the country for British East 

 Africa was very dry, but the quantity of grass that clothed the 

 pastures of this visit made the country very attractive, but it 

 would require a long sojourn in the country before one could 

 say which were the grasses most suitable for stock, as settlers 

 in different districts have widely different ideas as to the feed- 

 ing virtues of the different grasses, herbs, and shrubs, and also 

 as to the carrying capacity of the land. An Australian used to 

 the carrying capacity in Australia naturally forms his own idea, 

 but that is best kept to oneself ; but, taking it on the whole, 

 British East Africa is more a cattle country than, at any rate, 

 one for Merino sheep. 



