SOOTH AFRICA LAGS BEHIND DOMINION IN BUSINESS METHODS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27213, 17 October 1949, Page 4

SOOTH AFRICA LAGS BEHIND DOMINION IN BUSINESS METHODS

“ South Africa is about 50 years behind New Zealand in its business methods,” said Mr J, Elvidge, who returned to Dunedin on Saturday after accompanying the All Blacks on their tour of South Africa. “It is the same in broadcasting,” he told the Daily Times in an interview, “ and South Africa is making a start with commercial broadcasting only this month.” Mr Elvidge added that he had visited many South African commercial concerns similar to his own business in Dunedin and had learned -little new about merchandising methods. Time was of no concern and labour was so cheap in Sputh Africa that business men had no need to keep up to date. It astonished Mr Elvidge also to find perhaps one farm fully mechanised and an adjacent property being operated with a plough drawn by a span of oxen.

“ I enjoyed the tour immensely,” he continued. “ The land is one of contrasts—on the one hand there is great wealth and on the other the direst poverty. There is terrible poverty in the native quarters. Some parts of the country have luxuriant growth and other parts, like the Karoo, consist of God-forsaken country. Rain is very seldom experienced in Central Africa, and if the country had a plentiful rainfall it could feed the world.”

An, outstanding feature of the trip was a visit to the National Park native game reserve, Mr Elvidge said. It was a wonderful sight to see so many wild animals in their native habitat. The game reserve was 1000 miles long and 200 miles broad, and there were camps throughout the area where visitors could stay. Members of the All Black party were fortunate in being shown through the reserve by some of the wardens who took them in old trucks two miles into the jungle where they saw a herd of 300 buffalo.

“ The hospitality of the South African people was overwhelming,” Mr Elvidge said, “ the team was extremely popular and consisted of the finest lot of chaps I ever had anything to do with. The cameraderie and spirit that existed among the players was just wonderful.”

One of the sight-seeing trips arranged for the All Blacks was a visit to Victoria Falls where the team spent a day. There was so much to be seen, added Mr Elvidge that it was difficult to assimilate it in the short time at the party’s disposal. The South African trains were very comfortable to travel in, and the sleeping accommodation was good, said Mr Elvidge. The trains on which the All Blacks travelled on long journeys were always equipped with dining cars, and the team was fortunate in having with them the same chief steward throughout the tour and he attended to their wants very well indeed. The train journeys were very tiring, Mr Elvidge added, and could have been reduced quite a lot. “ One has to leave New Zealand to appreciate the country,” he concluded, “ and for conditions of living from any point of view I am satisfied it is ‘ God’s Own Country.’ ”