344 Report S.A.A. Advancement of Science. 



grown in South Africa, and, if grown in sufficient quantity, could be 

 exported to England with advantage, forming an additional item of 

 return freight. 



Return freight for ships is one of the crying needs of this 

 •country, and every effort should be made to increase the tonnage of 

 freight back to England, and so cheapen the cost of freight out to 

 South Africa. The amount conveyed annually by sea to South 

 African ports has increased enormously in the last few years. Besides 

 imports from other countries the latest statistics show that the ex- 

 ports from the United Kingdom to this country ha^•e increased three- 

 fold in the last ten years. It is a notable fact that South Africa 

 imports more now from England than any other country except India, 

 and taken per head of the population more than any other country in 

 the world. In 1902 British exports to South Africa were valued at 

 ^25,690,611, to India, whose population may be estimated at about 

 294 millions of people, goods to the value of ^^30,109, 628, to the 

 United States ^£23, 725, 971, to Germany ^22,852,252, to Australia 

 ^19,560,502, and to France ;^i 5,7 12,5 16. South Africa, then, with 

 a population, white and coloured, say, of 4^ millions, purchased in 

 1902 to the extent of ;^5.i4 per head. Considering this great in- 

 crease in tonnage, it is to be hoped that freight ^•essels of larger s'ze 

 will soon be the rule rather than the exception. The propelling 

 power required for a vessel for a given speed increases in a slower 

 ratio than the increase of its displacement, so that there is a great 

 resulting economy in using large vessels at a moderate speed. For 

 freight purposes there is probably no^ vessel so economical as a nine 

 thousand ton boat with a speed of eleven knots, provided that it 

 can fill up with cargo without undue delay; and considering the 

 figures of the imports into South Africa and the purchasing power 

 of South Africa, there should be no difficulty in running boats of this 

 tonnage. Is it too much tO' hope that faster passehger boats may 

 before long make the passage between Southampton and Cape 

 Town in a fortnight? The twin-screw steamer "Oceanic,"' of 17,274 

 tons gross and 6,917 tons net, the " Celtic," of 21,900 tons gross and 

 13,449 tons net, make the passage between Liverpool and New York, 

 about half the distance between Southampton and Cape Town, in 

 seven and eight days respectively. The Cunard Company now pro- 

 pose to build two fast steamers, and the German vessel now building, 

 the " Kaiser Wilhelm II., is to have a speed of 24 knots, to carry 

 1,800 passengers, and to burn 750 tons of coal a day, whereas the 

 steamship " Cedric," now building, to carry 3.000 passengers, is to 

 have a speed of 17 knots, and will burn only 260 tons of coal a day. 

 There seems, except in South Eastern Russia, a hesitation in start- 

 ing generally \\ ith oil as fuel for ships in spite of the fact that bulk 

 for bulk oil will develop twice the power of coal, thereby affording 

 more room for cargo, and that oil does away with the necessity of 

 having stokers, saving probably 80 or 90 men on a steamer. The 

 limits of size of ships have not yet been reached, and provision should 

 be made for the larger vessels of the future, and accommodation 

 should be provided in all new harbour work for vessels of 1,000 



