SOUTH AFRICA'S RECOVERY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 627, 2 October 1909, Page 4

SOUTH AFRICA'S RECOVERY.

The heavy, clouds of commercial depression which have hung over South Africa for the past six years at.length ehow. unmistakable signs of disappearing.. Gratifying improvements are visible in railway and shipping,' in farming and other rural activities, and in the two great industries of the sub-continent—tho getting of diamonds and gold. Chinese labour continues at the Rand mines but in a vdlumo which is rapidly decreasing. At the middlo of August barely; 6000 Chinese wore employed and ' official- information was then published that' tho last ■' imported Chinaman.would bo out, of-the Transvaal, before-: the .end. of- January. .It is- well that, before the union of the South African colonies', the country should bo freo from,the presence,of a variety of humanity., which, ' under; /the circumstancea; should-nover have .been permitted to entor. .Contrary .to what was stated by the mine-owners, as., the; number: of,ChinesOv on tho Band declines, tho army of, natives, applying for work increases. • 'At ,tho> present time: tho /number; of. 'South 'African natives employed, on tho Rand is greater-than-during any,previous-period. Central South Africa . has "recently been tapped and many thousands/ of' blacks from those regions are'already at work in the TrsEsv'aal.- The amount of gold won, monlh by month,.;is' steadily increasing,In ■Rhodesia also/'/whero finds of rich; gold-bearing reef 'wero made last month; the gold output is;.mpunting-steadily/up-wards.-, .In 'August,. De .Beeks, owners of the- Kimberley Diamond fields,! anhou'nee'd an intcrim\dividend .of 20.per-cciit.;, etjual t". 10s. per share on; tho' deferred/shares. The directors, ,wo, obsorvo,' notified'' : that the -declaration "was made , : in /anticipation'of the dividend,: which, otherwise, .Would have bpen declared in December ruyct, ;and. has:b'een i 'pr6mptod , 'f',l)y,.'tho j improving demand for the/Company's productions and'by; the' that the .deferred/'shareholders had been a lqrig time without, dividends." ■■ In the Orange River polony .the of coal and: diamonds, won constituted July; last a- recordnionth.V ■,■■.•'••• ..■".("•.•/.• -"."'• ■!-.^'- : J ">:;.' : '\ : . /■..-,//■■

;. In Cape Colony/ and; Natal the .depress sion i was felt most severely,. and in both colbhies;, the, i: present','pfospec'ts:'apo.' described .'-as justi|i;ing. l a i gj^irii J pf;.extrcmc. hopefulness. l ,■ .Tho:;|3outh>,African ?-ncws-; papers,are.highly optimistic and, publish many.statistics-.supporting the,-view that 1 the decline in trade -'has been arrested. J In Natal, the imprdveraent.. began : beforo ft became :ap"parent -in- sbiiihern , col-' ony, though : the; latest reports from the •jCap.e, indicate. 1 that. a radical change: for the better is '.now manifest! .At'the Au-' feust meeting .of tho'Durban'■Chamber of' poinmerce .the. .chairman- spoke-at length respecting .the general vimprovement.:in | trade , which .:has set:' in', throughout ,■ the I whole .of'i South Africa. ; ;Tho" '■Natal.' , ] railway returns have of latcbeen exceeding -the- estimated,revenue:. imports,and, expdrtsi.likowise teir:'their talo.of better.' times. 'For th'e'week.:prior;'td'. the"dopar-, ; turo of the. latest-received mails Natal's [railway revenue showed an incroasi of £9396 compared with tho ; 'same week; ,of tho .previous year. ' The colony's imports' during the,.first'.six. months ef 'the .prc- , sent' year, were , . £158,000 ;rj exciss ■ of the corresponding the exports,; for. the same -p'sricr', , '*' were" £177,00ff more: than during. > the, first six months; of 1908.; At Capo Colony the imports for 'Julyjlast; exceeded the. imports for -July ' 1908; by; about £1.88,C00. ,■ Th'e jvalue of the Carjp's.'.expbrts'-'air.this year have-.baen on ■ V higher, scalo . thari : last, recovery of'the diamond industry, being, hpweyerj : 'the";explanation.: During July the goods'handled atTablo :Bay amounted,to !?9,985:t0n5,:an excess of 11,821 .-tons over tho total, for the saine month- last!year'!' . At PortJNatal'the,tonnage dealt w^ith. that month. was .110,405'. ton's', , an increase -of . 28,700 tons.: ■•■ Expressed; in other terms, in : 'Natal—' where . the improvement is. greatest—the tonnago of 'cargo landed in July increased by, 25 per.cent.,, and that of cargo, shipped by more.than 40 per cent. There is' little.causo for wonder;, therefore, that .South Africa is now'in a mood that is. extremely sanguine.. . 'y .; : , :-;;■. ' Now,. Zealand's;. commerce, with ' South Africa' at one; timd, seemed full of promise, : ,but, the long-continued '■■ depression' has,, of ■ late; ''unfortunately. , reduced it toinfinitesimal dimensions, The trade,- it is claimed,; is worthy of cultivation. • Pas : toral,. grazing and (agricultural though the country, be, immense stores of precisely, 'what >Now; Zealand .supplies -are week!by,week landed.'at its. , ports." 'This yoarthe South African maize crop'has, like, tbo ■ Transvaal gold output, broken, the record; but for most, of New. Zealand's .produce ;thcre is'vstatcd to be, if hot an, active: demand,' at least a promising, opening. ..All; tho;.South African colonies.arc somewhat sparing in..their statistics ;thpu'gh the- Transvaal .Government, has.'recently, and for. tho first time,' published details touching the. extent of its agricultural lands and the number and variety of its; live "'■ stock.. . Tho latter figures; afford an interesting index of-:the remarkable - recovery : which lias, taken place since that colony was swept by a hard and devastating war.; Sheep are already there in'numbers-'sufficiently'great to>warrant : the prediction.that, in two years, the colony wiiFbc able to provide its pwn supplies of mutton. Cattle, however, are still, scarce arid it is Believed tiiat ten years at least will elapse, before tno..'supply of home-fed beef will be suiflicicnt.to meet the local demands.. In riono of the other colonies, or- in Rhodesia, aro local, supplies of .'beef. nearly sii/Bcient for tho. food needs of the peo-: pie. Surprise has .frequently hcen.expressed by travellers in South Africa that so, vast..quantities.of preserved:: foods should ba met.with even in.farming and' agricultural'; dietricta. Eggs,' cheose,

milk, poultry,, fodder, mutton, beet and bacon have to bo bought from other lands, and now, it may'bo presumed, in'everincroasing quantities, ...There-;is competition, doubtless, but that fact should no* detor New Zealand seeking this'outlet for tho products for which-this country is now' famous. Whether the Dominion profits by this revival of trade or not, it will hail. with- satisfaction South Africa's immensely improved outlook.. A country prosperous and contented would imply an auspicious inauguration of union. ■ '