NATIVE AGKICULTUkE. 



i<Si 



At no distant date the sight and sounds of the modern train 

 will be heard as far as Umtata — and beyond. The northern 

 border districts have long enjoyed the benehts of tlie railway. 

 On the east the railways have been pushed forward into the 

 Territories almost as far as Kokstad, and possibly in time we 

 shall see a railway line running inland from St. Johns, iind I'ort 

 St. John a place of some importance. 



We may then look forward to the day when the present 

 ox transport will be an interesting relic of the past, and all the 

 commerce of the Territories will be opened up by the speedier 

 transport of rail and motor. Who can sa}- what limits are 

 to be placed on the expansion of trade which will result? 



Until the communications are improved, we can hardly 

 expect any great activit}' in production for the export trade, 

 for to produce more than local requirements demand, would be 

 ir present circumstances simply a work of supererogation. 



It is therefore no small satisfaction to observe the in- 

 creasing attention which the Tran.skeian 1\'rritories ( ieneral 

 Council, and the Pondoland General Council, are giving to the 

 construction of roads and bride^es. These arc fundamental 

 works of the greatest importance, for if motor traffic is to 

 develop to any great extent, we shall need roads that are more 

 than mere tracks across the veld, and bridges across the prin- 

 cipal rivers in order that traffic in the summer months may not 

 be continually delayed and endangered by the flooding after the 

 thunderstorms. 



The Pondoland Covmcil authorised the ex])enditure of 

 more than i6,ooo for the construction and upkeep of roads in 

 the years 191 2- [4. and the Transkeian Council, having juris- 

 diction over a much wider and much more advanced area, spent 

 considerable sums of money in those three years for a similar 

 purpose. Tables B and C, comjiiled from official |)ublished 

 figures, show how much is being accomplished. 



B. The Transkeian Council. 



