The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-08-16

A LIGHT THAT FAILED.
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The racial disturbances in Natal
have attracted much attention recently
to that interesting aud promising Brit
ish colony. In which 80 much of British
South African history centers. It is
a growing and prosperous colony,
and Immensely loyal to the empire,
though 1t Is burdened with one Of the
gravest problems which any state can
have to solve-namely, that of the re-
lationship of the two races, where the
blacks outnumber the whites nine or
ten to one. 1t may be Of interest to
recall, too, that Natal has been the
scene Of one of the greatest industrial
disappointments in the history of the
British empire. in its failure to become
the chief cotton growing country of
the world.
1t Is now just half century since
Natal was erected into a separate COL
ony. and very shortly thereafter, be-
cause Of the prospects of profound
political. social and industrial changes
IN the United States, much considera-
ton was given to its assumed capa-
bilittes of replacing this country as the
source of Great Britain's supplies of
raw materials. 1t was thought GER
tain that Natal could produce sugar.
tobacco and other things in great
quantities but 1t was to cotton that
most attention was paid, and upon 1t
that the greatest expectations were
based. A careful British observer re-
ported that there were thousand
square miles Of land in Natal admir-
ably adapted for the growth of cotton.
He estimated that siv thousand plants
could be grown on an acre, producing
two and half pounds of seed cotton,
or pound and quarter of clean cot
ton. from each plant. Thus, he con-
cluded, "our Liverpool merchants may
look forward to a supply of no less
than 4,S00,O00,000 pounds of cotton
from Natal" That was much larger
amount than the entire product of the
United States at that time, or any time
down to few years ago.
How painfully those roseate expec.
tations have been disappointed may be
perceived from the fact that Natal
is now practically not cotton pro-
ducing country at all. At any rate,
its production of cotton is so small
as not to figure as an item in the in
dustrial summaries of the yearbooks.
Instead of the $4,000 acres in the
sea-island cotton alone, so confidently
predicted half acentury ago, only about
100000 acres are under cultivation by
Europeans In all crops, and the only
agricultural products deemed worthy
of mention in "The Statesman's Year
book" are sugar, maize, wheat, oats
and tea. The chief exports from Natal
to Great Britain are wool, hides, coffee,
bark and skins and furs. OF cotton,
which the colony was so abundantly to
supply, no mention appears.
This is to be recalled not, of course,
to the discredit of Natal or of Great
Britain, but simply as an example of
the many illusions which men in all
lands and ages have cherished. There
are those who can remember when
people thought the United States was
soon to outstrip China, Japan, France,
Italy and all the rest put together in
the production of silk, and it was not
many years ago that beet sugar en-
thusiasts' were cocksure that before
this time this country would not only
be supplying all its own needs, but
also exporting millions of tons year.
Such visions would be comparatively
harmless il they did not lead many
into reckless investments and conse-
Quent losses.