East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-07-28
STOCK IN PANAMA
PRICE OF BEEF
Is FROM 20 TO rs CENTS.
There Are Now $4,000 Cattle, 1900
Horses and 1900 Mules on the 18TH
mus-Duty ON Cattle is From So
to $40 Per Head-None But Native
Stock Can Live There.

According to statistics furnished by
Consul ]. c. Kellogg of Colon, the re-
public Of Panama has within its ter
ritory aoout 65,nN0 c,'tlc, Is. 600 hogs.
$500 goats, 1900 haf$eH and 1900
mules. Mr.. kellogg gives further in
formation as to cattle and dairying.
showing favorable openings for Amer
leans to engage in these industries on
the isthmus:
1t is estimated that $500 cattle
and hogs We're butchered in the seven
provinces during 1905. The average
market price of beef is from 20 to %
cents gold per pound, and the quality
is very poor. AS a consequence of
this high price of beef the working
classes complain very much, and eff
fort is being made to induce the au-
thorities to remove the present duty
of $40 head on steers and SIS a head
on cows when they are imported
alone for butchering purposes.
After many complaints made
against the cruel methods practiced
in the slaughter house in Colon and
the lack of sanitary inspection of all
animals to be butchered for market
purposes. the authorities have caused
more humane methods to be institut-
ed, and have agreed to the inspection
of all such animals destined for food
by sanitary official.
Comparatively few cattle are ex-
ported from or imported into Panama.
For breeding purposes bulls, cows,
and heifers are allowed by speciai
permission to be imported free of
| duty. The importation of steers and
cows for butchering purposes from
Cartagena, Colombia, has been sus-
pended. as the Panaman government
I imposes an import tax of IS gold per
head on cows and $40 gold per head
| on steers.
A few of the cattle raisers in PAN
anna have imported from the states
Jersey, Holstein, Durham and Red
Polled Angus stock for breeding pur-
poses, but with poor results, due, no
| doubt, to the fact that such blooded
stock requires great attention and
care, especially in such a trying cli-
mate as exists here, which is utterly
against them. An American, who has
ranch in the canal zone, informed
me that he had lost a great deal of
money trying to improve the native
stock by crossing them with blooded
stock which he had imported from
the states.
l am informed by reliable authority
that no quarantine restrictions are
put upon imported cattle. The cur
: rent prices for native cows are from
| s35 to $50 gold for steers, s35 to $40
gold. The average weight of live ma
| tive cattle is from 700 to 500 pounds;
dressed, from 300 to $50 pounds.
In the canal zone there are several
cattle raisers. The two largest have
their ranches at Gatun and Mindi. At
Monkey Hill and at other places along
| the line a few cattle are raised, vary
| ing from to 20 head each. The 18TH
mus is supplied almost exclusively
with cattle from the ranches of the
interior of the republic. which range
in size from 1000 to 1890 acres. The
freight rates along the line of the
Panama railroad are, by carload lots,
according to distance and based upon
the weight of 1000 pounds per head,
II to 19 cents gold being the mimi
mum rates.