The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-06-30
EXPORTS TO AFRICA.
The Expected Increase Occurs-Pros-
 poets as Presented by Expert.

|
 details of our exports have yet been re
 ceived by the treasury bureau of sta
 tlstics, Were greater than those to al
 South America, and were more than 5(
 per cent. greater than those of April il-
 the preceding year For the ten months
 ended with April, 1902. they amounted
 to $2S956, 179, against S22,07013 133 in the i corresponding ten months of the fiscal
 year 1901, and $l5,S5S,2S6 in the cores
 bonding months of 1900. The chief in-
 crease, of course, is to British Africa,
 which takes about S5 per cent. of our exports to Africa. To British Africa alone our exports in the month of April,
 1902, were $2,763, S33, against $1 ,S17, ,101 in
 April, 1901, and for the ten months end
 ed with April, 1902, were $24 705 SIP,
 against $1S,431915 in ten months of 1901 | and $13,16S ,062 in ten monthes of 1900
 The prospective growth in the com
 merce of Africa and the probable in-
 crease in its consuming power with the return to peace and commercial activi- l ty are discussed in a statement fur | nished to "The British South African
 Export Gazette" by leading Anglo | African merchant who had recently re- | turned from tour to South Africa, a 1 copy of which has just reached the treasury bureau of statistics. In this :! discussion the British merchant in | question says:
 With regard to the future of trade with the advent of peace, there will un- doubtedly be great boom all through
 the country A lull consequent on the
 al nf of ba tor fprppG q | and the refugees may perhaps affect the trade of Cape Town, which is, and al | ways will remain, more or less local, and concerned with the western dis tricts of Cape Colony; but no such ef- feet will be felt elsewhere, for 1t will be | necessary for some considerable time to keep large military force in the coun- try, and this will as 8 consequence in- volve a continuance of a considerable amount of military expenditure. Large camps will be set up at certain points.
 I have no doubt as to the certainty of
 the boom which will supervene after the
 war but my only misgiving is that,
 with every one rushing in to secure a
 share, it will be overdone, and reac-
 ton set in.
 AS IGSdIuS lilt | allSNodis eNlld HiblN
 particularly Johannesburg, no one with
 his eyes open can doubt the great de-
 velopment in mining and commerce
 which lie ahead. It is well known that
 before the war many mining properties
 were held back by those who foresaw
 what was coming, and thought 1t bet
 ter to wait until the trouble was over rather than risk their chances under the then unfavorable economic and po- itica conditions The cancelling of all concessions and the reduction of the price of dynamite will unquestionaby make it easier to work the mines at a profit. and many of the low grade properties will now be taken in hand, and, what is more made to pay. The chief danger that has to be feared is that arising from the, opening which will be afforded for thelaunching of bo- gus companies. which can only create discredt and Encouragement for bona fide concerns.
 The immediate future of the Orange River colony, although affording many hopeful indications, has, think, seve- ral problems to contend. with The colony is q farming country. in the main, and for some time to come will suffer from the depletion of population and the destruction of property, and, as a consequence, the loss of farming cap ital. Government assistance may do much in the earlier period, but recovery will be a work of time Trade in the mean time will suffer. Rhodesia forms no exception to the rest of the country, 1 and has, In my opinion, a big future | before 1t.
 The question as to which of the ports | on the South and East African sea- boards will secure the bulk of future | South African trade is, think. not diff fcult to answer. My previous remarks as to the local nature of the trade of | Cape Town show that that port is out of the reckoning. The situation of East London and Port Elizabeth places both II of those ports in a more advantageous II position to cater for the interior trade -han the metropolitan port. To Dur pan, however, I think will fall the bulk If at least the Transvaal trade. and that very great future lies before 1t Is unquestionable. It is the nearest of III the South African ports to the Rand, and, owing to the high rents ruling in merchants prefer to keep heir stocks at the coast in bond. By his course they save the interest on the of money for the duties, lrawing their goods from bond only as hey want them. Delagoa Bay may of- CT some rivalry on account of it's lightly shorter distance and its trough rate, and In the future will make further progress, but 1t vill never be chosen voluntarily by merchant firms as a place of residence n account of the unhealthfulness of he climate, and because it is foreign ort. Johannesburg merchants like t ,ise, should imagine, will never use it, \ Ike Durban, as a place to store their tocks at It will remain purely a for i ,arding port, and a number of firms of ( orwarding agents may be established l f here English merchants, and Ishould ldge, American merchants also will lways prefer an English port to for ign and especially Portuguese, port, n account of the unforeseen adminis I, 'ation difficulties which are continual arising. If, as I think Johannes urg merchants will continue to store ? leir stocks at the ports in preference a