Evening star., 1947-09-14
South Africa
RelieSOnU.S.
American Products
and Ideas Help
Union Grow
By Russell Landstrom

that American ideas and products
will play an ever-greater part in the
Unions economic development.
THE ties between the two coun-
tries are growing stronger" the
stocky, 5s-year-old DR.. Van der BIZ
said in an interview. THE people
of South Africa are quick to take
hold of new ideas and eager for the
things so easily obtainable in the
United States. American methods
are being adopted more and more
in our industry and merchandising. d
Before the war, he said, South
Africa imported from the United
States more automobiles, electric
stoves, refrigerators, radios and
washing machines than did any
other country. and added, that
condition is coming back"
Import Automobiles
No motor car of any kind is man.
ufactured in this country which
does. however, have several big as
sembly plants, including notably
the Ford and General Motors in
stallations at Port Elizabeth. Some
electric stoves are produced do
mestically, but the number is by
no means SUFFICIENT to meet the
demand. Refrigerators and radios
are merely assembled. AL washing
machines are imported.
Scandinavia, especially sweden,
supplies South African homes with
refrigerators and a few other con-
veniences, and British radios and
monographs are fairly numerous
The bulk of all such goods, though
must come from the United States
The Union, DR.. Van del Bill said
looks to the States for industrial
machinery.
80 far as steel making machin-
cry is concerned" he said, Ger
many is off the map and will be fol-
q long time. Britain has not pro-
duced in this field on The scale that
the United States and prewar Ger
many did.
Lay Out Steel Works
South Africa doesn't make half
the steel we need, and Britain can
supply only small quantities. This
means that with American help we
must expand quickly. To that end
l have laid out new works designed
to produce eventually a million tons
of steel ingots, and recently placed
in the United States an order of
100000 (s2s,OO00OO for equip
ment. And this is only the begin
ming Of inevitably closer connections
with American industry supplying
South African factories with ma
chinery."
American road-making machinery
is wanted here, too, he said, to en-
able the government to resume work
on an ambitious national highway
system. Virtually all imported
farm implements come from the
United States.
South Africa Is q new country,
rapidly growing and very virile
one" Dr. Van del Bill asserted, land
we have barely scratched the sur
face of our vast possibilities.
Although the war set back our
industrial development, South At
rica supplied more than $4,000, 900
pairs of boots and shoes to the AL
lied armies. We turned out guns,
in hurry but with fine craftsman
ship.
80 with the knowledge we've
gained that things really can be
done in this country there is bound
to be enormous growth. Realizing
how vital 1t Is to provide every
stimulus, we are fostering move
ment to bring in artisans, techni-
clans and other professional people
from outside to help in this devel-
opment of an economy which is
really very similar to that Of the
United States"
Looks for Expansion
The more we manufacture in
South Africa" he went on, "the
more we shall import, particularly
from the United States. The in
creased effiuence Of the people gen.
orally, rising standards of living
among the natives, the prospect OF
wider markets make that a Ger
tainty. And perhaps our exports
to the United States-chiefiy raw
stuff wool. hides and skins, ore and,
of course, goodwill increase.
DR.. Van der Bill said he foresaw
expansion in most of the Unions
principal industries-especially steel
and electrical power. cement, tex
tiles, glass and boots and shoes.
In q land where fruit and vege-
tables are abundant the canning
industry surprisingly is small. DR..
Van der Bill said he understood an
American company probably would
start work in South Africa soon.
Then our next stage of develop
.ment," he said, should be and
probably will be along the chemical
line. A new American process of
making gasoline from coal probably
will be adopted In this country"
Progressive in his views concern
ng world trade and international
clationships, DR.. Van der Bill is a
sanch believer in federation. 1T
'ould be bad thing" he said, "for
ne Union of South Africa to break
way from the British Common
wealth, and I do not think it ever
will do so. There is no place in the
world today for small nations.
Naturally. the union will trade
more and more with other sections
of Africa. But whether anything
like Pan-Africs will come In my
lifetime I do not know