FACTORS IN NATIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 5II 



of Natal, indeed of the Union, hung upon the powers of the 

 horse as much as on the indomitable vv^ill of a brave man. 



Once again, the death of the Prince Imperial of France 

 during the Zulu War, an event of international importance, was 

 due to the restlessness of his spirited steed. 



A concluding consideration that cannot be lightly dismissed 

 is the fact that in a land of sparse population and great distances 

 every well-to-do farmer was wont to glory in a spanking pair of 

 horses and a Cape cart, that came to be spoken about even in the 

 remote corners of the earth. 



Yet is the tale well-nigh told, for to-day the motor has almost 

 completely replaced the horse-drawn vehicle, and except in the 

 rarest instances the horse-drawn vehicle is not met with on our 

 country roads. Who, indeed, shall estimate the place and value 

 of the horse (i) in opening up the country at all times, and in 

 abnormal times, such as during gold and diamond rushes, and 

 the various wars ; (2) in speeding up and maintaining com- 

 munication ; and (3) as, in itself, a valuable article of commerce. 

 (3) The Sheep and Goats. — ^During the past four years of 

 war the immense value of the wool trade has been emphasised 

 before our eyes. In the earliest days the aborigines were in 

 possession of a primitive creature with abnormally developed 

 tail, which after years of development is known to us as the 

 Africander sheep. In addition, the natives have been accumula- 

 ting sheep from various sources for years past, and latterly have 

 even imported the best stock through their own Agricultural 

 Institution at Tsolo. The traders, too. realisinp- that they would 

 get better prices 'for the wool bought from the natives if the 

 quality was better, have from time to time made it their business 

 in a quiet way to introduce better stock either bv giving a present 

 of a ram to some strategic headman, or else by selling a better 

 class of stock to the Natives. 



In these ways there has been some improvement in native 

 wools, but much is yet to be done. However, while it is impos- 

 sible to state definitely how much of the wool passing through 

 East London and Port Elizabeth, and Durban, comes from purely 

 native sources, yet it is possible to give accurate statistics as to 

 the stock in the Transkeian Territories, and to make reasonable 

 deductions. The number of she"- is ofificiallv estimated at 

 2,036,202 in the whole of the Transkei ; the number of goats in 

 the same area is 886,458; and the number of cattle is 434,063. 

 In order to secure adequate dipping arrangements for small and 

 large stock, some 181 cattle-dippino- tanks are in use, with 28 

 under construction, and 649 sheep-dipping tanks are in use. with 

 61 others under construction. The substantial amount of money 

 required for the building of so many tanks throughout the length 

 and breadth of the country, not to mention that required annually 

 for upkeep, is in itself an indication of the importance of this 

 factor, and the disposition of the Natives themselves to care for 

 their stock wMth a view to larger and better production. In 1915 

 some 170,000,000 lbs. of wool, valued at £55,380,281. and 



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