190 



BANTU INDUSTRIES. 



would be sufficient capital to carry the venture through its early 

 years until successful production is arrived at. If, say, £50,000 

 was subscribed, it might be called up as required. The interest 

 should be limited to, say, 1\ per cent., and any profits beyond 

 that figure divided into two equal parts, the one-half going to a 

 development fund, the other as a bonus to those native employes- 

 who had worked steadily throughout the year. Provision should 

 be made in the articles of association to prevent any capitalist buy- 

 ing up a controlling share in the company when it has reached 

 a paying stage, by making it incumbent upon any shareholder to 

 give the company the first offer of any shares he desires to sell 

 at the lowest price he is willing to accept, and by limiting the 

 holding and voting power of any individual to, say, one-tenth of 

 the subscribed capital, or in any more effectual way that can be 

 devised. 



Various industries suggest themselves with which to make a 

 beginning. Perhaps that of spinning and weaving might be tried 

 first. Wool from native-owned sheep through the Eastern Pro- 

 vince and native territories could be purchased and made into 

 blankets, and the blankets sold to the natives. As things are now, 

 a native has to pay many profits on the wool grown on his own 

 sheep before it comes back to him as blankets — if he ever gets 

 back as good as he sends away. There are the profits of the trader, 

 the coast merchant, overseas freight, brokerage, and railway freight 

 from, say, Southampton to Bradford. The wages for spinning 

 and weaving might be retained and spent in South Africa instead 

 of overseas. And another series of profits and freights have to be 

 added to the manufactured article before the native sheep owner 

 can carry a blanket from the trader's store to his hut. 



It is practically certain that the locally-made article would 

 have more genuine wool in it than most of the blankets a native 

 can now afford to buy from a trader. 



Once blanket making were successfully established — and that 

 this can be done in South Africa has no longer to be proved — a 

 further step might be taken by starting to make tweed, and a 

 clothing factory would naturally follow to make the tweed into 

 clothes for natives. Here again unnecessary profits would be 

 eliminated, wages would be paid and spent in this country instead 

 of overseas, and the natives would no longer be condemned to 

 wear the cast-off clothes of Europe, as so many of them have to 

 do to-day. 



European merchants and traders need not be alarmed at such 

 proposals. Their trade would greatly increase because with regular 

 wages the natives would have more money to spend on the 

 numerous articles they could buy only from the stores. 



A further development might be that of tanning — tanning 

 the hides and skins from native-owned cattle and sheep. A boot 

 and shoe factory might follow, also harness and saddlery manu- 

 facturing, and the making of other leather goods such as hand 

 bags, kit-bags, valises, and such like. 



