44'^^> iia II X K Ai. !:i)i( Ariox. 



the personal ifreedoni of the erstwiiiie trekker aiul hunter. 

 Changes stich as these in a people can l)e Ijrought a1)out onl\ 

 gradually and under the stress of circumstances of a cuni- 

 petitive nature, but these changes can l)e hastened by a system 

 of technical education which does not demanil too long' a 

 scholastic leaj) from the younger people. It is largely because 

 these changes in the peoj^le are not keeping pace with the in- 

 creasing comjjetition to li\e vn this country that we have th- 

 poor- white problem. 



Our industries such as we have are manned, al anv rate 

 when skilled dexterity and knowledge based u[)on length of 

 experience are required, by overseas men to a very great extent. 

 Certain of our industries are staffed, in the lesser skilled ranks 

 at least, by coloured me-n. It is evident all over South Africa 

 that the coloured peo])le are not content witli tlie kind of lal)(tur 

 usually performed by the aljoriginal native, and that tliey ha\e 

 worked their way to the rank of skilled artisan; in this si)here 

 thousands of them find C(,;nstant em]>loymem al considera]>l\- 

 high rates of pay. Very few of them, howt-ver. can be classed 

 as thorough and reliable tradesmen; tiieir methods are sli])- 

 shod, and their kiKjwiedge oi the craft the\ ha\e come to prac- 

 tise is limited. Nevertheless, they are gradually l^ecoming 

 more prohcient, and they are entering seriously into competition 

 with the white artisan, who usually retires from the field in 

 the 'face cjf the low wage for which these coloured ]>eople. with 

 their cheaper methods of living, arc pre]j>ared to work. Of 

 recent years there has been a marked intiux of coloured people 

 to the more northern towns of tlie Lnitni. and particularh of 

 the Transvaal, due, undoubtedly, to an increasing demand for 

 cheaper lab<jur in maiiufacluring industries recently estab- 

 lished. The industries in which the ccjloured man has obtained 

 a considerable footi'ug are; the leather-working trades, in which 

 it is usual to find op.e while foreman with a dozen oi" s. > col- 

 oured assistants as stitchers, snickers, etc. ; in the furniture- 

 making business, in which the\- are u>uallv engaged to assemble 

 American inijxjrted goods, and in box-making — thev speedih 

 learn the use of tools, and there is now more than one furniiun,- 

 factory in South Africa in which the employes are all coloured 

 people; in soap-boilini; and in sugar-refining the Eurafrican and 

 the .\siatic find readv employment; in the jjrintino;- trade, tt)o, 

 the coloured element is well established; in the Ijuilding trade, 

 in the more southern half of the Union the coloured carpenter, 

 the coloured painter, and the Malay plasterer with his coloured 

 learners are all well known — it is but a matter of time when 

 they take their places in the Transvaal; their scouts are there 

 already- The openings, therefore, for our own white youth 

 would appear few even if he were suitable ; he has, however, 

 the advantcige of being on the spot, and the thing to do is to 

 train hhn for that skilled employn.ient which alone is suited to 

 the white man as overlord of this country. Actually the opeii- 

 inofs for white vouths are more- numerous (ban the\- .-eem, and 



