SOUTH AFRICAN TRADE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14646, 2 July 1918, Page 6

SOUTH AFRICAN TRADE.

CAPETOWN. June 20

treneral Sir Charles Crewe, ■ President of the South African Federal Chamber of Industries, speaking . at the annual convention at Johannesburg, said thai, there must be a sufficient tariff wall to restrict German competition inside the British Empire after the war. He pointed out that the predominance of gold and diamonds was now superseded by agricultural production and the expansion of manufactures. He referred specially to the remarkable development Hi the leather industry, and said that the exploitation of base metals was only m its infancy. Tin-smelting was now done locally, and importation had almost ceased. Dealing with the wool question, he said that unless some agreement were made as to the sale of the coming season's clip to the Imperial Government bouth African wools would be almost unsaleable. One hundred thousand bales of last clip remained unsold in ports. Freight from America was difficult, and the open market was of .little value. He urged all farmers to bring pressure on the Government to make representations to the Imperial Government. In welcoming the delegates to the convention Sir Meirinc Beck, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, dwelt on the remarkable growth of industries. He said that there were 4000 manufacturing establishments dealing chiefly in South African raw materials, and turning out products worth £40,000,000. This was on an actual level with the gold out-, put, and taken in conjunction with the mining output, £500,000,000, and agricultural output, between £60,000,000 and j £70,000,000, justified the conclusion that South Africa had entered a great era of industrial activity. He dwelt on the importance of the enormous coal resources, and said 1 that coal at .the pit's mouth was as cheap here as anywhere in the world.