Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-23
CORRESPONDENCE of the Deseye Ne1vs by Frank g. Coybenr)

| had been on duty IN British Somaliand,
ueclded that the goatskins from there
might be sent to America. and SO an
immense trade in that product has
grown up north of the lake 1t has
extended down here to the south ana
some of our finest Skins now come
from this region. This as so of cattle
hides. az well AS the skins OF goats and
sheep. All are exported in quantities.
The regions about the lower end OF
the lake are largely devoted TO stock
raising. The natives have big herds
of cattle, sheep and goats, and the
chief profit comes from the skius. COWS
are now selling here for $5 and So
apiece. and sheepskin can be bought
for a yard or SO of American sheet
ing. Back In the interior the people
wear cowskins and goatsSins with the
hair on. as clothing, and even here
In Mwanza both women and men are
dressed in such skins.
PEANUTS AND COTTON.
This country IL also land Of pea
nuts. Indian corn and cotton. There
is some question about the cotton.
but this ship will carry away 1000
pounds when il leaves here, and it
was all raised within u few miles of
Mwan2a. The cotton is put up in 100
pound DdltS anu WAS fblIl'u 10 tllS
port by two men to each bale, | am
told that the seasons are so uncertain
however that there is little eNpecta-
ton Of making the crop profitable
As to peanuts 1900 tons were ship
ped from German East Africa to
Europe last year. ana something like
5000. 900 pounds went out from Mwan-
ga AS TO the hides. they GO chiefly
10 the United States via Alden or Nap
les. so that there is but one trans
shipment after they leave the cost
of the Indian ocean.
| have spoSen OF Mwan2a q a future
trading center 1t may he the Chica-
go of the German possessions. It is
on lake which is 10000 miles bigger
than Lake Michigan, and it has a rich
country extending for hundreds OF
miles to the south, east and west of It,.
The goods which now come in here are
over trade routes which go to LAKE
Tanganyika and the coast of the In
dian ocean at Oar es S;llaam. The
trade routes are merely paths through
the woods, but they are annually trod-
den by the bare feet of thousands Of
porters, each of which carries 60
pounds on his head. The distance
from here to the Indian ocean is not
over 500 miles as the crow flies, but
this human freight train takes 20 days
to make the journey, and the rates are
consequently high. The Germans are
now proposing to build railroads be-
tween these two points. They have
begun at Oar es Salaam and are lay
ing trunk line toward Tanganyika.
That line will be blsected at the town
of Tabora by a road going north to
Mwanza. This will give Tabora "a
similar position to that which Indian
apolis now holds in regard to Chi
cago.
At present nearly all the freight
from here is carried on British steam
ers across the lake to Port Florence
and down over the Uganda railway
to the coast at Mombasa. I under
stand that the Germans would like to
put their own steamers on the lake,
but that the British refuse to bring in
over their railroad the machinery or
supplies necessary to build the boats.
They intend to keep the carrying trade
of Lake Victoria to themselves as long
as they possibly can. And so, if the