THE SOUTH AFRICAN LABOR PROBLEM

Evening Star, Issue 12028, 28 October 1903, Page 8

THE SOUTH AFRICAN LABOR PROBLEM

[By Charles Oxyox,] Hi’, labor problem in South Africa,, and m die Transvaal particularly. is tending to retard the progress of tho country. Large in-.d animated meetings are being held fm-ongbout. the Transvaal almost nightly, iiiid the newspapers teem -with reports of meetings, leaders, and letters on the allabsorbing question of whether there 'is sxtffi- < .cat native labor in the country to supply im>. demand for mining, agriculture, commerce, domestic service, etc. Chatting with a 'well-known mining editor who has had experience in the country nud who, previous to embarking on tho sea. of literary work, was a civil engineer and employed the Kaffirs largely, he informed me that before the war there were severityseven mines working on the Rand alone, and at the present moment there are only forty-four, Where the number of stamps at }*orfc previously was 7,000. tliere are only 0.000 going now. To work the ore here costs from. 25s to-30s per ton, and the mine owners are only getting 4Zs x>er ton from it. At present about half the mines onlv are woekag on the Rand, which constitutes 2,5T0 stamps. The colored labor is the difficulty, as the whites will not work with the Kaffirs. Before the war 96,000 Kaffirs were employed to work on the mines, according to the official records. To work tile mines fully 150,000 MEN ARE NEEDED. About _ 45,000 Kaffirs are now working on the mines, and there is great difficulty in getting more from the northern districts of the Transvaal alone. Prior to the war 20,(XJ0 natives used to come to the Rand per annum, but last vear only 3,000 came. This is attributed to the Native Labor Association, They reduced the Kaffir's rate of wage, in face of the fact that he, in. the first place, obtained very high wages from the Imperial Government during the war; and, secondly, that he tills the laud, which pays him. The Kaffir will not produce merely for bis own wants : he is becoming to a certain extent an agriculturist, and sell:; his produce, and ho is also becoming in a small way a stock breeder. The Kaffir likes working at. the mines, because lie knows he is making money, and he also knows while he is engaged for a certain term at this work his wives are attending to his kraal and tilling the ground. The iKaffir is a polygamist, and each man is able to buy at least two wives when he cams sufficient money or gets enough cattle to do so. Again, the war has helped to make the Kaffir independent ; he knows perfectly well that under the British Government he is protected and allowed to do practically what, he likes. During the war Tommy Atkins spoiled the Kaffir. He would ask him for a light and sit down and smoke with him.' The Kaffir has no right to be anything hot a laborer, otherwise he is apt to take liberties with the whites and become troublesome. He has to be kept in a state of subjection or ho tends to become unruly. Neither the men ninth? women are allowed on the footpaths, and to anyone who understands the language there is good reason for ibis apparently harsh treatment. A lot of their comments and conversation, especially with regard to ladies, as they trudge along the horse roads would not hear repeating. The Kaffir, however. D vain, and his one aim is to dress like a white man. On Sundays and holidays they to be seen in Pretoria, and Johannesburg -Eke-d out fr. Panama hats, duck pants, tan boots, gandv neckties, and, Us a complete outfit, some of them have their cigars and swing care-. An interesting sight: is- to see one of th.-.e natives jaunriag round the corner ot a mo el with his hat on one ride of Liz head &.:•«{ bumpin'; up against "a nr.m in bine,’ who irimc.-u’ atuly shoulders him into the. Loreo rwui. TOE KAFFIR GABOR VROBLHM. The Kaffir, who fi.imrrfy us;-.! n. work for os Of Ills prr Tiio;)i.i-:. h.s, aov learned 1 Is value, and, in addition to ariclr,;; £3. Li. and £5 per month, requires 'pb ;i u- of “scoff” (food), and all, hri employ-,:Y vts; robe ho can possibly acquire. 1; O however, to tresc;-. tris; naiivr.s like stvv.!*•:•> and as it tier-y y/orc nor utv: v: ■. VvV thould assist them in every p.-.c-vibli; v i n -aisc thenusnlvc-.t 1 ant infe-rmid ' bv pioneers of ties emm that vho Kaffir ?? improving Liu position, •«;.! ().„•>• bv will -rot do tffio sasaa drudgery for litcE ,- v uo remuneration that he ill for the whig..-; r,r,jviwjsJy. To solve rhv- labor difficuh/ 'tht Kaffir will have it, g,-;. more wage?, and lira mine nwaora huy.- pmcKatlh* "adt'iowJed<pid this tact ny '.ucrcaaiKg tl-.o waves idready. Aqain, the Kaffir will have. urite treated better on the mine-:; and in the cmr.pounds, and his accoHiruedation, food, r r .-\ rouitiuy nrrangcLOcufr will have to be looked niter and improved. Then ih d prohibition of tho sale of ihno,.- p,* t hc. Kaffirs "is a mistake, because." Ulcag Lbo liquor away will not make r,bw.i I.tit cm* ■b«totaflers>. At tin; preswab rim* the pmbiiiition of tbc sale of liquor to th--:u hr.s caused an cnarmous illicit; trade te sr-ibr up. and tho Kaffir is able t-> get. liquor when no waute it. .Tie will take a buttle or rum and drink it off immediately. With « prcpsT licensed trade for tho sole of liquor ■° them, they are much more likely (o become temperate than under the praaeut aw. '['hey get their drink illicitly now, and naturally go to excess with it, because once ihey have obtained it they never know why a cbey trfll be successful in’proeuring it again. Apart, from this, however. I have venr strong doubts as to whether the native supply of South Africa is equal to the lidxn- requirements of the country. Li 1891 it was estimated that. 150.0C0 natives were ■wauled for the Rand mines alone. Since then then; have been discoveries which to put Jt moderately, at least double 'the of the mining reefs which can be worked. It is not. an extravagant, calculation to say that HALF A MILLION NATIVES ire required for the Rand requirements today. ion Lave then to provide for (ho domestic requirements of the towns and the forme, and a quarter of a million would be a low estimate for tills. Again, there is an enormous amount of public works- to be proceeded with. Road repairs and road construction will require a large number, and the construction of the new railway lines and irrigation works have to be taken into consideration. Contractors arc calling out for natives for these requirements, amf pip, ing everything into consideration, a rotmh "working population of 2,000.000 is required for the Transvaal. \Veil, as a solution of the difficulty, it is thought that the labor must como from outside South Africa, and I am informed by a gentleman who is quite competent to speak on ibo matter that t.h -re ti no alternative but for the importation of Indian or Chinese labor. He sirs ii. is impoaeiblo to import white labu? for -,| lo mines, as it would prove an economic Failure. COOLIE v. WHITE LABOR. , Sirpposing-that alien labor is imported into Truth Africa, and that neither the Indian nor the Chinaman spends a sixpence of his earnings for the benefit of (he country generally, the question is whether it would not be better to give away tho wages of, say, 40,000 aliens in order to benefit bv tiie 8,000 whites who would bo employed "in looking after these aliens, and who would, of course, spend thdr money in the country. With regard to the- railways, no doubt it. will bo _ possible and advantageous to obtain white labor from Horae and from such of our colonies as can send it, for railway construction, and irrigation works. No doubt a judicious system of sub-contracting amon-ri the working men themselves would result in economy, and thus the country would get a -certain percentage of good arid useful settlers, and by a judicious distribution of land to similar men, who would be willing to work and till the land, the country would get a legitimate growth of white population. This, no- doubt, is the only practical way of increasing tho growth of the white population here, as any attempt to force a white population must lead to failure. One must remember this; that any endeavor to use white labor soldy here is going to prove an caormouriy expensive one. The .whole of tiaj land which is suited far settlement Iras I cr, imqnired, and is in the hands of men v.-iio will demand for it enormous prices. It is no ufia endeavoring to farm here; without i considerable amount of capital, and in most cases you must provide advances from fhe State to the settlers, necessitating a nay elaborate Government department and Some system of Government control, which >“*aht -not--tendto.- promote- and

self-reliance. To put it shortly, however, I am inclined to think that it will be far better to let the country-work out its own salvation than attempt to flood it with labor. Speaking to a pioneer of Pretoria who Is a large landholder and fanner of considerable experience, and who has also been a large employer of Kaffirs, lie informed me that * tho supply of native labor in the country s was equal to the demand, that the Kaffir I would require to receive more wages than be . obtained previously, and that it would he : advantageous to treat him firmly but kindlv. I or instance, when a native who had been ■ down a mine for several hours came up wet r and cold he would give him a tot of rum, - not much, but just sufficient to warm him. i This little kindness, ho maintains, is apl preciated by the. Kaffir, and would probably T lengthen his.stay on the mines. Tbs Kaffir *• works for a term of three or six months I only, earns sufficient money to keep him for I some twelve months, and returns to his - wives and his kraal. If some means could , be devised to get the Kaffir to bring Us r family to the Rand and make his home there, t there is no doubt it would go a long way tut wards solving the labor problem. The i Kaffir is only human, and longs for his » kraal, which is in most cases hundreds of i miles away from where he is working. r HOW KAFFIRS ARE RECRUITED. s There is a strong combination on the Band s called the Witwatersrand Native Labor Association. which is a combination of the s whole of the mining companies ami groups for the purpose of recruiting native labor. B They have hundreds of paid servants, and also numbers of men and firms recruiting for them in different territories on commission, j If this Association recruit so many Kaffirs x in a month, they are distributed pro rata s to the various mines, according to their size r ami contribution. If one mine asks the Asq sociation for, say, fifty hoys, under the terms and conditions of the Association it i might only get a dozen. Whereas there used f to be hundreds of free rceruirers who obq tamed and can obtain the Kaffirs owing to a their influence with the chiefs, the Association, flirouirh their monopoly, have had the of nullifying these a nun's efforts, 'flic- Association, with their , influence and capital, have fixed up a I treaty with the Portuguese Government 4 whereby they, and they alone, can recruit p the Kaffirs from the Portuguese territory. They have managed to do this with their capital. They give the Portuguese Goi vermneni. about ]3s per head for every T native tliey recruit in their territory, and 3 if the native remains on the Rand over a s certain period without returning to his b kraal, when he does return the Portuguese 5 Government demand another 15s. If a j free, recruiter goes into the Portuguese g territory and requests the Government: to , give him a license to recruit, lie is asked > to produce his license from the Witwatorsa rand Native Labor Association, and if he ; cannot do this he is informed that lu> can i get no “ boys. ’ 1 have been informed > that a Air Stokes recruited'a large number - of boys in Uelagoa Bay fop this Associaj tion. He bad to deposit his cheque with > the. Association, and liecause he omitted to s add the exchange to it his cheque was rer turned. The result was (hat the Associa- , tion did not get the boys ; but when Air - Stokes returned to his recruiting area, alter - a visit to the Rand he found that, this Asr sociation had replaced him with one of i th'-ir officers, who had been endeavoring ; while Mr Stokes was absent to influence ; the chiefs against him. fam informed by I another gentleman on tin- Band who is 5 competent to speak on the labor question i- tb.-ir he could go re Pietersburg. which is - within a day's rail journey of the Band, ’ --Tel procure 40.000 Kaffirs' from one chief 1 alone, provided he would tell the chief what mine op mines his boys were going s to. The Kaffir, as a ride, has got, to ‘ know (be mines and compounds when- he ;• icc-nves the best treatment, and to those n nn-s and compounds he wishes ro go. iii.-n, again. Kaffirs coming from the same kraal aio like brothers, and do not wish v t.i be sejtanned amongst the different s tii*.ar c . They fear that if they w _ anot;; t .-t.rt’i’g-' natives they may fall sick .- a-n-t or; with.mi- b.ving cared for. and wiibo;;. th-xr f ; : :!l .r coe nmn-cated with. iiovi-riixMEN'T rG.’-rrr.r'i, neceasaby, Virerc is no doubt thi.-- me;; rr;cni;th.g ’ re.-pih<« to nin b.:n,i 1,, L ;.- : <:,E vrerev iit tb . 'i l.t v ffi/j-.1.l e-x S-)L-h th.rir own Native Labor Dewlmet-.s ' in all the ie. •;•< ,of tho Tnm.-x ml. );n. oi :: tbotr own Govvrntc.tr.! r*-.ci>d!;v-.,.' oU'uin the boys, and char.-.o a sm-.!i b-r- (o anv j employer who require <t them. Ti,.> (Jh-ivii-bc-r of t'remrccrcc ami tlie jniuicg c-ombina- , fe-iv —which. In- tii-' way. a re- ail jiowcTJ-.d it’ 'hi:; cot;.;.'*.ry—- re dein-irnlir.g that the G-.-v .-rm.-ve!:; shall wire all n.-w rttilwav i cot.'-rvcctien and give t hem th “hovs ” ‘ wh'.-.-lt they now have ami those who "are i 1 wring rccntitu-.l for the.-.■ n* w line,;. The ‘ Aetme High < ‘ow'.iitissh-.eo- (y;,. lT +b- ; r 3 Entrievl is opj os-d. ric.hi.iy so, to any . rcf-h (U-.'iposiV.oe, as tb" tretre 1,.. eor:T'j up end develop-,-;’., nof.wrthstending s bne rr-ncleoatioii:.: of ;.nv oa.pitelist.ic cernt 'btefifio-t,-: with the naltVi snpplv in the ’ coun try.