i'Ri:sii)i:.\" 11 Ai. \i)i)Ki;ss — si-X'Tio.x w. <)i 



continued. The next stej) is the commercial utilisation of ibis 

 knowledge, which means the synthetic ])roduction of artificial 

 tannin on a commercial scale from raw materials found in < Ger- 

 many. This, as stated aliove, in the case of indigo took seven- 

 teen years' work and one million pounds in money. 



The value of the tannin bark industry to Natal is appioxi- 

 mately three hundred thousand pounds ])er amium, as shown in 

 the Annual Statements of the Trade and Shi])])ing of the Union 

 (1912 ct sec].), namely: — 



I. — Amounts Exported in Pounds. 



iyi2. T913. J9T4. '91 5' 

 To the United 



Kingdom... 62.007.314 99,203,808 92,276.338 

 „ Germany . 32,523.378 30.745,850 25,904,174 

 „ Australia . 16,072,668 8,871,278 7.156.368 

 ,, Other coun- 

 tries 7,604,239 6,896,802 4,879,946 



Total . . . 118.207,599 145,717.738 130,216,826 89,639.564 



II. — Value of the above in £ sterling. 



To the United 



Kingdom . . . . 145.304 208,192 200,772 



„ Germany 83-240 68,318 60,735 



., Australia . . . . 35.890 17.845 I3;872 



,, Other countries 18,576 15.974 11,020 



Total 283.010 309,329 286.399 195,184 



The problem, which confronts the industry in this province, 

 is therefore how, whilst there is still time, to ])rotect it against 

 any conception, which might possibly arise from the presence 

 on the market of an artificial substitute. Tiie answer to this 

 may be put in the form of a (juestion. If, during the years 

 1 880-1 896 the indigo planters of India had invested one million 

 pounds in the scientific investigation and development of their 

 industry, would they have for one moment feared to have faced 

 competition at the end of that period? This would have meant 

 an expenditure to the extent of between fifty and sixty thousand 

 pounds per annum for seventeen years invested so as to obtain 

 results, which would not only have made the future secure, 

 but at the same time would also have increased the output 

 annually during the period of its outlay. In ix)int of fact, it 

 would in all probability have placed vegetable indigo beyond 

 competition. Moreover, just as India was compelled to export 

 the indigo wdiich she grew, so also must Natal at })resent exjiort 

 her tannin bark, until the chemical industry of leather manufac- 

 ture be established here, in which case the leather would be re- 

 quired to stand the strain of the competitive market. In pass- 

 ing, it may be noted here that (^-f the twenty-five large classes 



