Chapter IV (8)

It is not without instruction to those who are unaware of the potential character of South Africa's buying capacity, the reasons for which will be more clearly set forth later on, to compare the amount spent on the purchase of oversea goods by the white and black population with those of our other colonies and India:--

+------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+ | |White |Native |Total |British | | |Population.|Population.|Population.|Exports to.| +------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+ | | | | | £ | |Australia | 3,577,000 | 200,000| 3,777,000| 21,329,965| |Canada | 5,170,000 | 201,000| 5,371,000| 8,153,815| |India | 275,000 |294,000,000|294,295,000| 39,753,348| |New Zealand | 767,000 | 52,000| 819,000| 5,601,979| |South Africa| 1,007,000 | 3,000,000| 4,007,000| 20,326,006| +------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+

+------------+------------+------------+------------+ | | Per Head | Per Head | Per Head | | | White. | Native. | Total. | | | | | | +------------+------------+------------+------------+ | | £ _s._ _d._| £ _s._ _d._| £ _s._ _d._| |Australia | 5 19 0 |106 12 0 | 5 13 0 | |Canada | 1 11 6 | 40 11 2 | 1 10 4 | |India |144 0 0 | 0 2 9 | 0 2 8 | |New Zealand | 7 6 0 |107 14 3 | 6 16 0 | |South Africa| 20 3 7 | 6 15 6 | 5 1 6 | +------------+------------+------------+------------+

In other words, with the exception of India, where the European population is not numerous, each white inhabitant in South Africa spends vastly more in proportion to its population than any of our other Colonies, or exactly £20, 3s. 7d. per head as against £7, 6s. for Australia, the next highest, and £1, 11s. 6d. for Canada, the lowest, or, with black and white combined, £5, 1s. 6d. per head of the total population, as against 2s. 8d. for India, £1, 10s. 4d. for Canada, £5, 13s. for Australia, and £6, 16s. for New Zealand. A reference to the above table clearly shows what an important customer the South African native is for oversea goods, his annual purchases amounting to £6, 15s. 6d., which it will be seen is even more per head than that of the Australian white population. This latter assumption is, of course, purely deductive, but it is in the main fairly accurate.

Not only this, but it will surprise many to learn that of the total British exports to our Colonies and India, South Africa is our third best market. Moreover, in certain classes of goods, specified below, she is also far and away our most important customer. For instance, of the total exports from the United Kingdom to our Colonies and dependencies, there were shipped in 1901:--

_Boots and Shoes._

To South Africa £881,266 " Australia 223,516 " India 125,256 " New Zealand 105,671

Of these South Africa took one-half of the total British exports.

_Apparel and Slops._

To South Africa £2,198,235 " Australia 1,353,878 " New Zealand 376,582 " Canada 281,100 " India 195,762

Of these South Africa took two-fifths of the total exports.

_Haberdashery and Millinery._

To Australia £341,241 " South Africa 310,372 " India 142,341 " New Zealand 137,080 " Canada 125,401

Of these South Africa took one-fifth of the total exports.

_Mining Machinery._

To Australia £129,704 " South Africa 108,365 " India 74,714 " New Zealand 11,272

South Africa took one-fifth of the total mining machinery exports, but had 1901 been a normal year, the exports would unquestionably have exceeded those of all our other Colonies and India combined.

_Agricultural Machinery (excluding Engines)._

To Australia £30,829 " South Africa 26,833 " New Zealand 18,654 " India 14,294

_Manufactures of Steel, &c._

To India £268,377 " South Africa 108,187 " Australia 57,990 " New Zealand 20,189

_Locomotives._

To India £535,115 " Australia 311,616 " South Africa 281,158 " New Zealand 38,712

_Unenumerated Engines._

To India £274,257 " Australia 232,563 " South Africa 128,786

_Cast and Wrought Iron._

To India £848,857 " Australia 746,155 " South Africa 599,018 " New Zealand 202,451 " Canada 53,212

_Galvanized Sheets._

To Australia £730,952 " India 586,023 " South Africa 358,353 " New Zealand 125,828 " Canada 113,015

This brief digest will doubtless be sufficient to prove that South Africa, as a market, is to-day one of the best customers of the Motherland, and, as will be shown later, when dealing with the future outlook for Imperial trade with that country, bids fair to speedily overtop in her demands upon the United Kingdom and her Colonies and dependencies that of any single member of the Imperial family, India--of all our possessions at present our best customer--not even excepted. And what will readily be conceded is a satisfactory feature in our commercial relations with South Africa is the remarkable growth which has characterised the exports thither from British possessions and Protectorates other than the Mother Country itself, the total proportion in 1901 being £4,733,800, as against £4,590,681, the value of the combined trade with South Africa in that year of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, and the United States.

Why South Africa must, for many years to come, remain our best customer, ever increasing its demands upon our industries, is not difficult of comprehension to those who are acquainted with its circumstances. Although it is more than capable in proper hands and with the assistance of capital of being self-supporting, beyond its gold, diamonds, and coal, it produces little or nothing to speak of. It has one of the finest climates in the world; its soil is more than ordinarily fertile, and only requires water to yield a harvest more than sufficient for its consumptive needs, which could easily be obtained if the ample rainfall were properly conserved and irrigation resorted to on an intelligent principle. Incredible as it may seem, even the mealies or maize, which it could grow in sufficient quantity, without recourse to irrigation, to supply its own wants and leave a margin for export, are imported to the amount of something like £350,000 annually. Its iron deposits are probably unequalled elsewhere; its seas teem with fish, and its orchards and vineyards groan with the yield which nature lavishes with but little assistance from man. Yet on the shelves of every store throughout the country will be found imported canned fish and fruit, mainly from America; and while it is true that here and there jam factories are to be found, and the sugar cane grows almost wild in Natal, probably more than half a million yearly is disbursed on imported jams, confectionery, syrups, and the like. Tea likewise flourishes in Natal, but South Africa imports nearly £200,000 worth yearly; fresh and preserved vegetables, to its shame, are actually landed to the value of £80,000 annually, although, like most other foodstuffs, the soil grows them in luxuriant profusion; and of wine, despite the fact that the huge quantities made at the Cape, if properly treated according to European methods, would be unsurpassed in the world, the oversea product stands for nearly £300,000.

Moreover, as a cattle country many parts of South Africa are probably unrivalled, notwithstanding which both live and dead stock are freely imported, and while it could support millions of sheep it prefers the frozen mutton of New Zealand and the Argentine. Whoever is to blame for this state of things, which, happily, under the new _regime_ and with the influx of population from European countries will gradually be altered, it is certain that, until the old order changes (and this will probably be a work of decades), South Africa must rely upon oversea goods for the maintenance of its growing population, as also for the means wherewith to extract its marvellous mineral wealth. According to Mr. W. Willcocks, C.M.G., if the irrigation schemes which are projected in the Transvaal and Orange River Colonies are ever carried into effect, they will add something like £200,000,000 to the value of the agricultural land, a consummation which, in its own interests as well as for our own industries, is devoutly to be wished. If it be true, as is repeatedly asserted by those most competent to judge, that South Africa's vast mineral deposits have only been "scratched," how much more does this remark apply to its agriculture, which, after all, is the staple wealth of all countries, and which has made the United States and Canada what they are to-day?

Enough has probably been said of the South African trade of the past and present, although the subject is of such profound interest to the student that it deserves greater space than is possible within the scope of a single article. It is to the future that we have now to direct our attention, and it is in attempting to forecast the probable trend of the trade in the years to come that speculation becomes positively fascinating. In making this endeavour, it is well to bear in mind that assumption will be based upon such facts as are within our common knowledge, and therefore may be accepted as a reliable, although not infallible, guide as to what may safely be expected of South African commerce in the future. Setting aside for the moment the possibility of the soil being made to yield any greater abundance than is now the case, or that other than its existing insignificant industries will be promoted or developed, we will first of all confine our investigations to how far South Africa's mineral wealth will beneficially affect trade pure and simple. Altogether, irrespective of the Cape, Natal, Rhodesia, and the Orange River Colony, the mining, exploration, and investment companies at present in existence in the Transvaal alone, or connected therewith, number something like 350, representing a capital of £250,000,000, or about what the war has cost us. Many attempts have been made by competent experts in the past to forecast what the several sections of the Witwatersrand only will yield in gold as interest on this huge sum before the mines at present in working or in process of being worked are exhausted, but few approximate with such exactitude the recent estimates of Messrs. Frederick H. Hatch and T. H. Leggett, both of whom are authorities whose views are entitled to the greatest respect. They have had many years' practical experience of the Transvaal mines, and owing to the uniformity of the yield, tested at a depth of nearly 5000 feet, to which they limit themselves in their calculations, they are of opinion that the gold yet to be extracted from Randfontein on the west to Modderfontein on the east amounts to the almost incalculable total of £1,310,323,000, and that the life of this section is forty-two and a half years.

Now, as it is indisputable that South African trade is in the main practically dependent upon the country's mineral wealth, it is not a matter of supreme difficulty to arrive at some definite conclusion as to what effect the extraction of this stupendous amount will have upon its consumptive requirements. Herein lies its supreme significance to manufacturers, and particularly to those who are our countrymen. The experts cited are of opinion that by June 1906 the annual output of gold from this section alone will amount to £30,000,000, which compares with £20,000,000, the estimated yield for 1899, had not the war intervened. According to figures taken from the reports issued by the Johannesburg Chamber of Mines, something like 75 per cent. of the yearly output of but seventy-four of the mining companies producing the £20,000,000 referred to has been spent in the past on machinery, stores, development, labour, &c., which would mean a local disbursement alone of £22,500,000 in 1906 to win the £30,000,000 estimated as the yield in that year by Messrs. Hatch and Leggett. But, according to Mr. A. R. Goldring, secretary to the Johannesburg Chamber of Mines, who bases his data upon information supplied by the leading Rand engineering experts, in 1907 no fewer than 17,000 head of stamps will be at work, being an increase of 11,000 on the number in operation just previous to the outbreak of the war. If the annual output of £20,000,000 involved the expenditure of £15,000,000 on stores, machinery, wages, &c., Mr. Goldring's estimate of the number of stamps that will be at work in 1907 means the disbursement of the gigantic sum of £42,500,000 as the total contribution which the Rand gold industry alone will expend for the benefit of the merchants and manufacturers of the Mother Country and the world at large. If to this estimate be added the expenditure necessitated by the numerous diamond and copper mines and collieries in the Cape Colony, Orange River Colony, Natal, and the Transvaal, coupled with that of the Rhodesian gold mines and collieries, as well as the gold mines in districts other than the Witwatersrand, such as Barberton and Zoutpansberg, &c., a reasonable estimate should place the total disbursements of the entire mining industry in South Africa in, say, five years at £50,000,000 sterling, which, added to the normal requirements of the country apart from those of mining, would mean an annual outlay of at least £60,000,000 for the benefit of commerce.

It will be seen that no allowance is here made for possible developments in agriculture and kindred pursuits, which may not unreasonably be expected to ensue as the result of the fostering care of the administrations, under the Imperial Government, of the Transvaal and Orange River Colonies, although large disbursements might with perfect safety be placed to the credit of these and other industries which may safely be assumed to be promoted during the interval between the present and the year to which these estimates relate. That the Rand gold industry can never be checked again, short of another war, which is extremely improbable, is as certain as that the sun shines, and the same remark applies to the other mineral propositions. It is therefore well within the bounds of probability to predict that the total purchasing capacity of South Africa five years hence will be at least £60,000,000 sterling per annum (which is an exceedingly moderate computation in view of the fact that the estimated total in 1902 is £42,000,000), a sum which, assuming our other colonies and possessions do not advance in the same ratio, will make that country an easy first as Great Britain's best market. If Messrs. Hatch and Leggett be correct in their surmise that the life of the Rand is forty-two and a half years--and in the main they are supported by other competent authorities--excluding altogether the possibility of other discoveries of precious metals and minerals in that long interval, and eliminating for the moment, what is improbable, that the remainder of the three hundred and fifty mining and exploration companies above referred to remain idle meantime, or that their number is not hugely increased, we arrive at a total expenditure of _two thousand five hundred and fifty millions sterling_ as South Africa's contribution to trade in the period in question. As it would be futile to dilate upon what this overwhelming sum means to British industries, it must be left to the imagination. It is worth thinking about nevertheless.

There is, however, always the pessimist to be considered in these matters. While no doubt he will content himself with the satisfactory outlook for British trade which is here unfolded, he may, in anticipation of time, begin to worry himself as to what will happen when the Rand is no more, and when its thousands of stamps are lying idle for the want of further quartz to crush. If one cared or dared to venture upon the hazardous ground of prophecy, one might easily foretell the possibility of other Rands being discovered meanwhile, with the practical certainty that a hundred years hence South Africa's gold yield, instead of showing diminution, will largely exceed even present anticipations; and here it is justifiable to intrude the remark that every expert, without exception, who is connected with its gold industry, is unanimous in asserting that mining has hardly been begun, and that the future will exceed the expectations of even the most optimistically inclined. But, granted that the pessimist be correct that in fifty years the gold will cease to yield and the Rand be a barren, silent waste, is it quite safe to conclude that meanwhile the country has remained at a standstill except for its mining activities? Are the £200,000,000 sterling which Mr. W. Willcocks, C.M.G., the distinguished irrigation expert, asserts will add to the value of the country as agricultural land if irrigation be resorted to, to be counted as nothing; and is there not the remote possibility of South Africa taking its natural place among the world's producers of other staples than gold? What of its vast coal and iron deposits, its saltpetre, its petroleum, and its countless other products which to-day are but waiting the advent of capital to bring into being, all of which, like its gold, have yet to astonish the world? Gold or no gold, the country must, as the years unfold, become a teeming hive of industry, the only approximation to which is that of the United States of America. South Africa, then, is no place for the pessimist, and the sooner that is understood, the greater the peace of mind of that misguided individual.

As to the trend of the gigantic trade that is before South Africa, it has been incontestably shown that the proportion enjoyed by the Mother Country, and that of its colonies and possessions, is immeasurably in advance of that of all other nations combined, despite the ravings of the alarmists as to the alleged incursions of our rivals on what are pre-eminently our own domains. This fact must not, however, lull us into the false security of our peaceful slumbers of twenty, or even ten, years ago, when we had the field to ourselves, and which we might have retained even now but for our ignorance of its potentialities. The competition to be faced is a keen one; the trade is there and must remain there, in all human probability, for all time, in increasing quantity--for it can never retrograde; and only the alertness, the unceasing activity of those who are interested in retaining it, will preserve the major portion to our own industries. In endeavouring to show that the future outlook for South African trade is one which our manufacturers cannot possibly ignore, by reason of its incalculable vastness, it is reasonable to suppose that each member of the Imperial family, whether it be the Mother Country, its offsprings, or the humblest citizen of either, will strain every nerve to conserve to it the spoils for which such sacrifices in blood and treasure have been made, thus handing down to our children a heritage of wealth which is their right equally as it is our duty.

THE COLONIAL CONFERENCE.

The names, reading from left to right, are: Back row--Sir Alfred Bateman, Sir Francis Hopwood, Hon. W. S. Fielding. Sir M. Ommanney. Middle row--Mr W. Holderness, Sir J. Anderson, Sir J. Forrest, Sir W. Mulock, Lord Onslow, Hon. W. Patterson, Rear-Admiral Custance, Lord Selborne, Mr Gerald Balfour. Front row--Sir Robert Bond, Mr R. J. Seddon, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Mr Chamberlain, Sir Edmund Barton, Sir A. Hime, Mr Fuller.]

Much might be written in confutation of the many alarmist reports as to the decadent condition into which British trade has fallen of late years, but, after all, is this worth while? Admitted that, inflated with our past prosperity, we have slumbered on undisturbed by the thought of what the to-morrow will bring, it would need greater imagination than the prospective garnering of the two thousand five hundred millions sterling which it has been shown is likely to fall into the lap of the world's traders as the result of the future expansion of South Africa in less than fifty years, to suppose that our manufacturers have suddenly become bereft of their senses not to seize the most of their opportunities. It is easy to decry their enterprise, to compare their alleged shortcomings with the activities and the asserted "pushful" tendencies of their competitors--thus advertising the latter at their expense--but how much of foundation is there in such reports? The brief statistics with which this article is accompanied--and they have been confined to the narrowest possible limits--conclusively show that, so far as South African trade is concerned, British manufacturers are more than holding their own; and there cannot be the least doubt that they will continue to do so in the years of prosperity and expansion that are before the sub-continent, provided they are assisted by the ungrudging efforts of labour. This is a matter which need not be intruded here, but it is one upon which the maintenance of our supremacy in the world's markets will depend, and it is one, too, which could be more profitably discussed by those whose apparent mission is to belittle everything that is British in favour of those who, in South Africa as elsewhere, are striving to wrest our commerce from us. As has been shown, the future outlook for trade in that country is of the brightest, and that we shall not prove equal to the task of maintaining our position there is a contemplation that does not come within the scope of probability.

THE FUTURE OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONSTABULARY

VIEWS OF MAJOR-GENERAL BADEN-POWELL

Believing that a short account of the origin and object of the force known as the South African Constabulary for the Orange River and Transvaal would be interesting to those anxious for the prosperity of the new Colonies, General Baden-Powell, the originator of the highly-practical scheme, was invited to contribute to this volume a brief _resumé_ of his important work. The General in his reply said, "I am very sorry that it is quite impossible for me, under present pressure of work, to contribute an article;" but he kindly furnished an outline of his scheme, which serves to enlighten home-staying people regarding the importance of this irregular arm of the British service.

In brief the General writes:--

"I can only say of the South African Constabulary that it is
not formed on lines exactly identical with any other Police
Force, although in many respects similar to some.

"A Military Mounted Police is a bugbear to most administrators,
as being an expensive luxury; but I think that it is rather
like what a steam-engine is to a Boer farmer--once he knows how
to apply it to the many uses of which it is capable,
independent of what has been the practice of his
predecessors--it will be found to be an economy in place of a
luxury.

"I have schemed the South African Constabulary to that end,
viz., as the machinery for performing many duties not hitherto
included in the province of Police; and my one hope is that it
may be found effective for the purpose.

"It is the best paid force of its kind, and by careful
selection and elimination I expect it to be the best in
quality.

"It numbers at present 10,000 whites and 1000 natives, but
these numbers will be liable to alterations as the country
progresses.

"It is divided into four separate self-contained Divisions
carrying out the duties of District and Town Police in the
Transvaal and Orange River Colony, together with their
subordinate departments of Criminal Investigation and
Intelligence, and many minor and temporary duties, such as
medical, agricultural, and veterinary, postal and customs,
sanitary, public works, &c. &c.

"With a good Reserve, as the Force will shortly have, of men
settled in the country in civil situations, and with its
married establishment of 600 families, the South African
Constabulary will also take an important share in the
development of the Colony, and will at the same time be in a
position to supply a well-trained mounted force for military
work should emergency arise."

This force has been formed for the maintenance of order and public security in the Orange River Colony and the Transvaal, but is available for service in any part of British South Africa. It acts as a District Mounted Police in time of peace, and as a military force in time of war. At one period drafts of about 80 men per month were despatched from Great Britain and Ireland, but now, owing to the cessation of the war, recruiting is closed. From time to time new blood may yet be in demand. Candidates had to be good readers, writers, spellers, riders, and shots. Single men were preferred, and recommendations, particularly as to sobriety, had to be forthcoming. The term of engagement was for three years for those recruited in the British Isles, with the possibility, for non-commissioned officers and men, of re-engaging on increased pay. The term of service for men enlisted in South Africa (who had not been given a passage) was two years. Promotion by merit and commissions are obtainable from the ranks. The age of candidates is not under 20 nor over 35. The standard of height, without boots, is not over 6 ft. 2 ins. nor under 5 ft. 4 ins. The chest measurement, deflated, is not under 34 inches, and the weight, without clothes, is not over 13 stone 7 lbs. nor under 9 stone.

The following is the scale of pay:--

_s._ _d._ Sergeant (Staff-Sergeant) 10 0 per diem. Sergeant 9 0 " Second Class Sergeant 8 0 " Corporal 7 6 " First Class Trooper 7 0 " Second Class Trooper 6 0 " Third Class Trooper 5 0 " Pay commenced from date of attestation in South Africa.

Pay, as well as promotion, is largely in accordance with a
man's efficiency and behaviour, troopers being divided into
three classes, and non-commissioned officers into four, for
this purpose. Promotion from one class to another among
troopers depends on their qualifying in Constabulary duties,
musketry, signalling, language, and other tests, and on their
continuing efficient in these subjects. Men of all grades
entered at the lowest pay of their grade. Men selected in Great
Britain and Ireland joined as third-class troopers. Promotion
in the non-commissioned officers' ranks will generally only be
granted to those who qualify in colloquial Dutch. Men desirous
of marrying while in the South African Constabulary need to
obtain the sanction of the Officer Commanding Division to their
doing so, they are then entitled to an allowance to cover
lodging and other expenses, such as rations, fuel, light, &c.,
at the consolidated rate of 3s. a day. On completion of the
first three years' service a man may, if approved by the
Officer Commanding Division, re-engage for a further term of
two years, at 3d. a day extra. On completion of his five years
he may re-engage for further service by the year, if the
Officer Commanding Division approves, at 6d. a day for every
additional year, until the total increase of pay for
re-engagement shall have reached 2s. per diem. Rations, horse,
forage, clothing, equipment, arms, quarters, and medical
attendance are supplied free. In exceptional circumstances,
where rations cannot be supplied, a ration allowance will be
made of 2s. per diem.

A non-commissioned officer or man may be discharged at any time
by order of the Officer Commanding Division with or without
gratuity. Discharge may be purchased, with consent of Officer
Commanding Division, for £20 during first year, £15 during
second year, and £10 during third year.

Any Non-commissioned Officer or Trooper may, with the approval
of his Commanding Officer, be transferred to the Reserve,
provided that there is a vacancy for him, at the end of his
first engagement (three years), or if he re-engages, at the end
of any period of re-engagement, up to the completion of five
years from his first entry into the service. Every man
transferred to the Reserve is required to remain in it and have
his permanent residence in the Orange River Colony or the
Transvaal, unless discharged, up to the end of seven years from
the date of his first entry into the service. A man wishing to
purchase his discharge from the Reserve may do so on payment of
£12 at any period of his service in the Reserve. He will
receive while in the Reserve pay at the rate of £1 per month.
He will be liable to be called out annually for not more than
ten consecutive days for training, and shall also be liable to
be called out for active service at any time by the
proclamation of the administrator, governor, or other person
exercising for the time being supreme authority in the
Transvaal or Orange River Colony, declaring the existence of a
state of war, or of such serious menace to the peace as to
render mobilisation necessary. While on training or on active
service he will receive full pay at the same rate which he was
enjoying when transferred to the Reserve. In addition to their
pay, Reservists, if they desire to settle on the land, will
receive special consideration in any Government-aided scheme of
settlement.

Proposals are at present under consideration, whereby suitable
settlers may be assisted to acquire land, and be aided at
starting by Government advances, the purchase price and capital
advanced being repayable on easy terms. If any plan of this
kind is found to be practicable, a certain number of farms
annually will be offered in the first instance to members of
the South African Constabulary, who, having borne a good
character, may be desirous of being transferred to the Reserve
with a view to actually settling on the land as farmers.
Similar privileges will, if the opportunity offers, be extended
to Non-commissioned Officers and men who may quit the South
African Constabulary after five or more years' continuous
service, bearing a good character.

Any man having served at least five years continuously in the
South African Constabulary (not including Reserve service) with
a good character will be entitled, on retiring, to a gratuity
of one month's pay for every year of service. Men on the
Reserve may, with approval of Officer Commanding Division, be
taken on to full pay again at any time for a term of two years
at 3d. a day extra pay.

Where a number of men joined from one place they were squadded
together as far as possible in the South African Constabulary.
Leave of absence will where possible be granted to all ranks
for one month in each year, cumulative, on full pay, special
conditions ruling shooting leave, and leave to England or out
of South Africa. After four years without leave six months on
full pay will be granted.

Candidates were given a free passage in a transport to South
Africa, and a free railway voucher from their place of
residence to the port of embarkation. They were liable to
further medical examination on arrival at the place of
attestation. Any candidate found unsuitable was given a free
passage back to England, provided that he was not rejected for
any misrepresentation, misconduct, or serious fault of his own.
After five years' total service a free third-class passage home
will be granted to men recruited in the United Kingdom.

The full strength of the Constabulary will in future be six
thousand men: the four thousand enrolled for the war
contingency will shortly be disbanded.

These particulars serve to show the nature of the new Force,
and give some idea of its value in preserving the future peace
of the King's new dominions.