152 153 cerro de pasco The greatest investment of the XXth century The entire circuit had been completed with the construction of its own port in the bay of Ilo, as was logical, with a power generation plant, communication routes around the different units, a 177-kilometre railway line for the transport of mineral between the mine, the refinery and the port and suitable infrastructure for two camps, the first for the Toquepala miners and the other for the refinery complex. A few years after the start of its operations, the company built other types of facilities for workers, employees and their families, which at that stage would congregate in an approximate number of 15,000 inhabitants; hence the need for a school, a hospital, road connections, supply stores and other services that facilitated the living and development of the community. In March 1960, after a legal dispute, ASARCO transferred 20,375 shares to Cerro de Pasco Corporation, as it was forced to return part of the capital stock of Southern that had been held in trust by the former. By virtue of that ruling, Cerro added an additional 6.25% of the total shares of the company, so from that moment on it would be the owner of 22.25% of shares in the business. The Livestock Division With the fields surrounding La Oroya greening again after the installation of the Cottrell System in 1941, the company, beyond providing food for its employees, gave those lands a more productive function. The specialisation in the raising of the cattle was one of its main aims. It should have come as no surprise, since in the mid-1950s, the corporation had 149,000 sheep, 13,000 cattle and 500 pigs grazing on its farms, along with another 50,000 owned by tenant farmers. Keeping all the livestock under control required rigorous logistical work divided into two sections: the northern part of the Livestock Division had five main estates, while the southern part was in charge of six. Each section was under the command of a general administrator, who coordinated directly with the superintendent to carry out the general work plan. Each administrator was in charge of the stewards who supervised the fulfillment of obligations; the border horsemen who prevented the grazing of neighbouring livestock within their boundaries; the foremen, who counted the flock several times a week and supervised the shepherds; and, finally, to the shepherds, who looked after the health of the livestock and were accountable for losses or theft due to their carelessness. Each one had clearly specified duties. The staff varied according to the season but, on average, 680 workers and 49 employees were needed to efficiently maintain the organisation. According to the company magazine, El Serrano, in August 1955 Cerro sent the Superintendent of Livestock, Mr. W.K. Snyder to the western United States to purchase breeding rams to improve husbandry. They themselves established the three conditions that these specimens should meet, in order of preference: firstly, be of registered Corriedale breed, of Corriedale descent or be of a moderately wooly breed. Secondly, to have grade 54 wool, preferably. Thirdly, to be as large as possible. Additionally, it had to be livestock accustomed to grazing in highlands to avoid problems of adaptation to the geography and mountain climate. The search extended to the best farms in the United States, agricultural schools, fairs, exhibitions, and even youth clubs in the North American West. The selection trip took more than two months. Upon arrival in Peru, Mr. Snyder commented: “It has really been a difficult journey, mainly due to the fact that there are very few sheep that meet our requirements. 3,857 rams were examined, of which we only bought 260, which represents less than 7% of the total. The selected one-year-old rams averaged 82 kilograms and the six-month-olds 52”. The new Cerro Rams were the largest ever seen in South America and would contribute to increasing wool and meat production in The Junín breed was the pride of the Livestock Division of the corporation. It took years to create this breed that brought Peru many awards. The quest to improve the quality of sheep and pastures would intensify in the years after the greening of the pastures.
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