rRESIDKNTIAL ADDRKSS— SECTION B. 45 



natural resources. It is inevitable in the long- run that those 

 places with the larg-est deposits of each particular mineral 

 Avill develop into the greatest centres of production, unleas 

 they are wholly deficient in fuel or other sources of energy. 

 If this country has the great future before it which most 

 of us believe it has, we must show that its internal resources 

 are sufficient in kind and in amount to form the basis of those 

 industries which are necessary to make it to a great extent 

 independent of importation from overseas. Here the aid of 

 the economic geologist is of the utmost value. Personally, 

 I believe that the ITnion of South Africa can obtain from 

 within its borders supplies of almost everything that is 

 essential for its industrial development, and the same may 

 be said with equal confidence of Rhodesia. Though the latter 

 cannot claim to rival the gold returns of the Rand, it possesses 

 an almost unequalled variety of mineral products, actual or 

 potential. Already it leads the world in its output of chromite 

 and of the higher grades of asbestos, and the time cannot 

 be far distant when its enormoiis resources in coal, zinc, iron 

 and copper ores will be exploited as their output justifies. 

 These will, no doubt, have their development assisted by the 

 employment of one or other of the great sources of water 

 power Avhich exist at various points in the territory. 



We must not, however, be led away into the tempting 

 pursuit of patting ourselves on the back, so to speak. It is 

 my intention rather to show what practical steps can be taken 

 to foster the development of the great supplies of the various 

 mineral products which we believe exist. In this connection 

 I shall confine myself chiefly to a consideration of the channels 

 into which the activities of the mining geologist can be 

 directed, and incjuire in Avhat way his services may be utilised 

 to most advantage. 



It may at once be said that a considerable part of the 

 foundation has already been laid, though it is not altogether 

 complete, and requires a number of g^aps to be filled before 

 it can be utilised as a base for the superstructure we hope to 

 build. Nevertheless, during a period lacking- the excitement 

 of sensational new discoveries, the descriptive side of the 

 subject has made good progress, and we now have as a result 

 a fair knowledge of the mode of occurrence of a large number 

 of the more important mineral deposits in the country. At 

 the same time, a good deal still remains to be learnt, more 

 especially with regard to certain of the base metals on which 

 our future industrial ju'ogress so largely depends, and it is to 

 l)e hoped that contributions to this branch of the subject will 

 not be less numerous in the future. Mining eng-ineers can 

 do much to help on this department of geological work. 

 Points of great value can often be gathered from their reports, 

 and these would be still more useful if the writers would 

 make a practice of having- their rocks named by competent 

 authorities. It is very misleading- to have a rock referred 

 to as a " quartzite," for instance, when a petrolog-ist could 

 at once have pointed out that it was of igneous origin, and 

 the reports of the Geological Suiveys might be utilised to 



