CO129-468 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1921 [6-8] — Page 349

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GOATS.

Wherever Indians are found in Hongkong and the New Ter- ritory, we find goats doing well. It may be that the Indian Police Constable's goat has great opportunities, but it certainly thrives. A few Chinese also keep goats. Much of the undeveloped land in the New Territory is suitable for the keeping of goats and if it did keep them, they would form a valuable source of food supply. The many brands of tinned milk are the only source of milk supply for all but the fairly well-to-do, and the tinned milk trade of Hongkong is no small one. Our Indian troops and Indian police obtain the goats flesh they require from goats imported from Tientsin. To provide this, costs not less than a clear $100 a day which might be going into the New Territory. It may at once be said that goats and forestry do not do well together. With a little encouragement Chinese would feed goats on the hillsides as they now do their cattle when they are not needed in the fields. It is well to mention that along the Mediterranean restrictions on the milk supply from goats have had to be enforced owing to Malta Fever.

CONCLUSION.

Chinese are quick to realize a practical advantage, and to obtain practical results from any of the foregoing suggestions something tangible must be demonstrated to them. This could best be done by the establishment at a convenient centre in the New Territory of a breeding and experimental station. At this station improved breeds of animals could be seen, hired, or bought; improved housing could be seen and feeding experiments with available New Territory food stuffs studied. The farmer could obtain advice on the diseases affecting his stock and would look to the experimental station for help when infectious disease appeared. Quite recently (1914) some dia- tricts in the New Territory suffered pretty severely from rinderpest and on former occasions losses have also been fairly heavy. These losses could be mitigated were such an institution as is now suggest- ed able to supply a curative anti-rinderpest serum. Without a European who took a personal interest in the scheme success could hardly be expected. Probably the best type of man would be the son of a small farmer and he would have to be allowed a fairly wide dis- cretion with regard to his actions. Results could not be expected to follow immediately. The European would himself require time to study the local farmer, his stock and his methods, and until sufficient local knowledge on which to graft his former knowledge and exper- ience had been acquired, little progress could be looked for.

I have no doubt that the only really satisfactory manner in which the proposal could be put into practice would be by Government action and under direct Government control. If it is decided to establish an experimen- tal station the supervision of it would seem to fall naturally under the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon. I have not dealt with details of buildings site selection, cost and importation of breeding animals or administration as these really fall to be considered after the question of the necessity for such an institution has been decided. In conclu- sion I believe that such a station in charge of a European accustomed to live stock and speaking Chinese would, apart from the initial cost, in a few years be almost self-supporting, and would bring about a vast

improvement in the breeds of live stock in the Colony,

DRAFT.

Milling No.348 Go, Sir R.8. Stubber

MINUTE,

10. 5 mmans 19/10/21

Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

Deckett

Mr. Grindle.

Sir H. Lambert.

Sir H. Read.

Sir G. Fiddes.

Mr. Wood.

Mr. Churchill,

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