WILL NOT WORK

Evening Post, Issue 113, 10 November 1930, Page 11

WILL NOT WORK

AFRICAN- NATIVES

LABOUREESOURCES.-//"

The popular conception of' SoutK Africa as a land with.;f <:a.Handful of whites surrounded,.by iteeming-. millions , of blacks'', finds .a.•;queer commentary in the report-of*the-Inter-Departmental Committee .Which has been invest.igat- . ing the labour :.re?ourees of .the Union, says tho. "Christian Science Monitor." The committee finds that among-this same ''handful of Whites'' there 'are many, for whom there-is no AYbrkVin any, part of tho country, while despite the "teeming million? of .blacks,'' there is a definite shortage o£ pative labour in important. industries; v - ■■. X :.-.-:. -. "To a person,"., the. s report declares, "who considers superficially, the-magni-tude of the native population., Of tha Union, the statement that, the,-major industries of the country suffer; from a shortage of labour, which at times reaches the figure of -29,000 men, must appear extravagant,. yet such,- is the i situation.^' .. : ..,,■,,,--•, r...". v.; i.. The, report slxows; that;:iiqre -is a , potential: labour/force: of;: i,458,000 I Uniofl. natives, but adds, that it. Would • be a cardinal ifallacy..to. assume that z ■ labour force-of such dimensions i« ; available. In explanation, the \ report points out that.while the Europeanai of necessity an all-year-round ■worker>-th» tribal native l only ibteaks aitajp'Jiom , his usual;;leisure:;whe'njit i»: eaSea'tial to earn money*.*, Mofeoverj;'he makes ■ his temporary banishment; ffo"ni'his ''kraal" as short as possible. ','■-'■ ' "His tribal lands,'' the jepprf con- . tinues, "supply the natiire:-with, all or most of his food and drink; •^.■When. . there is a good harvest his dependence on the labourjmarltet drops. ■ ißecaiise of this, mining has become an. industry materially a'ffectedi by the" Whims' 'of •' Nature.""- ;.>■, -:— .•-. ' .'.- . ■:•.-'•■ ,'• t The committee- estimates thatoli'th* ; basis Of all-year-: work1 th©;- labour strength of Union natives is xedueed:t» 644,000 instead of 1,458,000. i: - , ~ ' Discussing the possibility-or arousing the natives .to become^ steady; - workers,. the ■ '■. committee. declateS- ' that improvement "can.only/: bei the tesiilt o of a slow-process;of Taising^'the'StAn- : dard of living, of- the; tribal native*. "■ The number ■of ;:nativeS>' engaged' as house boys is estimated at-IIOjOOO or 13 per cent:. of .the available -native ■ adult male labour force.; ■• ' j : ' The committee goes fully" into; the . question of the native labour; supply for the gold mines• and.urgef-that the , employment of an adequate, number" of r natives would be: &v-direct" gain? to^tha ' national income.;by making poasible-Te-covery of loW^-gfadeiore .whiffjK'WOUld otherwise costtoo much.toremove;-.'1: