Evening star., 1902-08-02
LABOR IN SOUTH AFRICA
Scarcity of Efficient Men Retards Pro
gress.
From the London Times


From the London Times"
The fact that native labor is now harder
to get than ever In South Africa is ro+ord
ing the work of reopeninp the r,inirg m
terprises around Johannesburg. The scbe,,,e
which the mine owners have on foot for
surmountfng the difficulty is Interesting
for If it succeeds it will go far to solve the
problem of unskilled labor in South Africa
which has long been most perplexing
question. The mining companies are buiId
ing large number of three-room cottages
and they hope to attract many thousands of
unskiiled workmen from England They
believe that workmen should be induced to
emigrate by the prospect of 81. % a day and
free board and lodging from the time they
arrive at the mines They are suggesting
that the government should provide free
transportation to South Africa for those
who would like to go and say they can give
employment to 100000 white mon In tba
mines of the Rand.
The most vital question affecting South
Africa will be solved TO the complete sa atis-
faction of all If the employment of white
labor proves successful The distinctive
feature of South African life thus far is
that all unskilled labor is done by the
blacks. Along the coasts where the climate
is hot and humid it is not easy for white
men to accustom themselves to hard man
udl ldDOT unueI lile DIdZlnS sun, but this
is not the main reason why all the common
outdoor work has been left to the natives
Slavery was not abolished till 1884 and in
900 years of it's existence in South Africa
all white men lost the habit of doing the
ordinary work of the town, farm and ranch
and came to despise manual labor The
abolition of slavery was one of the great
grievances of the Beers and one of the
leading motives that led to the tricks into
the wilderness and the founding of the in
dependent Boer republics. Up to this day
no Boer or other white man in South Af-
rca will perform any unskilled labor if he
can get black to do 1t for him. Indian
coolies have been brought into the country
to do some of the common work but there
are only about 13 900 of them, and their
numbers are too few to help solve the
question, which is becoming more serious
with the increase of work to be done and
the growing unwillingness of the Kaffrs to
do it.
The great trouble is that the blacks of
South Africa do not care to work after
they have earned money enough to buy
wife or two to till their garden patch and
support them at home. The Kaffir prefers
to be his own MASTER to acquire a little
patch of land that he can call his own or
to have a few cattle and turn them loose
to Craze on the free veldt. Only a great
strike can give us in America a realizing
sense of how serious this labor problem
has become. Fancy white population
of about 100000 depending entirely upon
the blacks, who are seven times as numer-
ous to do the whole of the rough work
and the blacks, who have never given SER
vice that we should call really efficient eX-
hibting a constantly growing tendency to
refuse to work for the whites on any terms
The effect of this state of affairs becomes
more and more paralyzipg as the condi-
tiOnS are intensified.