The Denver star., 1914-03-14
SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.
Mixed Races Show Strength In confl'c'
Between Capital and Labor.

Between Capital and Labor.
Writing from Cape Town. South
Africa. W. Arthur Woodward. in let
ter to friends in the United States
says: In South Africa the year 1914.
beginning with the threat of general
strike at the mines and on the rail-!
ways, does not seem likely to pass
without serious conflicts between capt.
tai and labor, and this quite apart
from the veXing problems raised by
the East Indians in Natal. The strength
of the labor unions is increasing. the
labor party. though at present small
factor in the political world, is gaining
in Importance and here as elsewhere
the spirit of unrest is abroad.
With unskilled labor the white man in
South Africa has little to do 1t is left
to the natives. How great a drawback
in some respects this is to the indus
trial development of the country Is
evident when it is realized that the
supply is insufficient. that the natives
are not naturally industrious and, eX-
cept for short periods at time. are
seldom willing workers.
With the white man holdtng aloof
from manual work. it does not seem
extraordinary that South Africa should
suffer chronically from Il shortage OF
labor when it is remembered that the
total population of the union is under
6.OOo. 900. the natives and other colorcd
or mixed races numbering rather less
than 100000.
1t WAS because of this state OF af-
fairs that East Indian labor WAS de-
manded for the plantations in Natal
and Chinese labor for the Transvaa!
mines. The Chinese have gone. but
nearly half tie labor required for in
dustrial purposes on the Rand is re
cruited outside the union in rortu-
gucSe East Africa.
ThrcatcncI with no active immigra-
ton policy. the skilled white laborer
has. all the same. the ever increasing
number of skilled native and colored
laborers 10 cope with-the word
-'colorcd" being used generally to sig
rify those who represent Il fusion OF
races If the katiir prefers The simple
life to work for wurh : sake. the edu
Gated coorcd man is Il competitor no,
10 be dcSpised. who is willing TO accept
Il lower standard of wages corresponds
ing with less costly ways of living
No doubt the skilled and efficient col
orcd Iaborer will tend to underSell the
white man less rs his own standing
improves and his needs increase. but
in any case he has To be reckoned with
and not at some remote pcriod-but
| now.
Naturally this growing competition Is
4 matter Of grave concern TO the trade
onions. At the conference of labor
representatives held in January il was
| decided that colored people, excluding
| however. natives and ASiatics. should
| be admitted to the labor party. 1t is
difficult to see what other course could
be taken if they are TO enlist the coop
| Grafton Of these men in keeping up th'
| rate OF wages Nor is the value %
the colorcd vote to be ignored Their,
| are in the union over 6oo.u,N colorct
: people, a considerable population ''nci
| ther altogether white nor aliogethc
native many of whom i'll Natal an,
the Cape have votes.
TO exclude them in future from tht
party would be, ii was argued, to sem
| them into the arms of the capitalists
10 exploit them against the labor par
| ty The market was being flooded
with colored trained artisans and tn,
| principle for which the labor part,
stood was the uplifting Of humanity
| without reference to the color of 1
mans skin. The Society Of Engineer
in the Cape has no color bar. while
the Typographical society of Capetowr
| is largely composed OF colored men
| Thousands of these men are no les
well educated than their European
competitors, and clearly the labor par
| ~ needing their votes and recogniz
ing the Importance Of cooperation witt
them. could not wisely any longer re
| fuse to invite their allegiance.