New-York tribune., 1906-08-08
A LIGHT THAT FAILED.

The racial disturbances in Natal have at
tracted much attention recently to that interest
ing and promising British colony, In which
so much of British South African history CEN
tres. 1t is a growing and prosperous colony,
and intensely 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 relationship 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 indus
trial disappointments In the history Of the Brit
ish Empire, in it's failure to become the chief
cotton growing country Of the world.
1t is now just half a century since Natal was
erected into a separate colony, and very shortly
thereafter, because OF the prospects of profound
political, social and industrial changes in the
United States. much consideration was given
TO its assumed capabilities OF replacing this
country the source of Great Britains sup
plies Of raw materials. IL was thought certain
that Natal could produce sugar. tobacco and
other things in great quantities. but it was to
cotton that most attention was paid, and upon
1t that the greatest expectations were based.
A careful British observer reported that there
were thousand square miles Of land In Natal
admirably adapted for the growth OF cotton
He estimated that six thousand plants could be
grown on an acre. producing two and a half
pounds Of seed cotton. or a pound and quar-
ter Of clean cotton from each plant. Thus. he
concluded "Our Liverpool merchants may look
forward to a supply OF no less than 4.s00OO0,-
1000 pounds of cotton from Natal" That was
much larger amount than the entire product of
the United States at that time or at any time
down to a few years ago.
How painfully those rOseate expectations have
been disappointed may be perceived from the
fact that Natal is now practically not a cotton
producing country at all. At any rate, its pro-
ductiOn of cotton is so small as not to figure as
an item in the industrial summaries of the year
books. Instead of the 100000 acres in sea-
island cotton alone so confidently predicted half
century ago, only about 100000 acres are
under cultivation by Europeans in all crops. and
the only agricultural products deemed worthy OF
mention in ",The Statesmans Yearbook" 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 cot
| ton, 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 sim
! ply 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 il was
not many years ago that beet sugar enthusiasts
were cOcksure that before this time this coun-
try would not be only supplying all it's own
needs, but also exporting millions of tons a year
Such visions would be comparatively harmless
if they did not lead many into reckless invest
ments and consequent losses.