SOUTH AFRICA 705 



which controlled freight rates to and from South Africa. The contract with Elder Dempster 

 (who in October placed orders for two new liners for the S. African service, each of over 15,000 

 tons) left the time for the mail boat service unaltered, namely 16 days 15 hours, between 

 Southampton and Cape Town. Over 80 % of the shipping is British. The net tonnage of 

 vessels entering and clearing Union ports rose from 11,494,000 in 1910 to over 12,550,000 in 

 191 1. Another 2,000,000 tonnage represents the trade of Lourenco Marques and Beira with 

 British South Africa. 



Wireless telegraphic stations have been established at Cape Town and Durban. The 

 inland telegraphic service was in 1911 connected with German S. W. Africa. 



In October 1912 the total mileage of the railways open was, in the Union 8,400 (of this 

 mileage 7,646 was state owned); belonging to the Rhodesian Railway Systems 2,357. The 

 Rhodesian system includes the railway running through the Bechuanaland protectorate 

 (it is part of the trunk line north from Cape Town) and the Beira railway. There was in 1912 

 through communication from Cape Town to Katanga (Belgian Congo) a distance of 2,316 

 miles, all save 167 miles being in British territory. With the following exceptions the rail- 

 ways built since 1910 were mainly short lines to serve rural districts. The railway from 

 Ermelo to Piet Relief (70 m.) opened in July 1911, was in 1912 being extended to Vryheid 

 (69 m.) to give a direct route from Durban to the Eastern Transvaal. In October 1912 the 

 Johannesburg-Zeerust line was completed to Mafeking, thus reducing the railway distance 

 from the Rand to Bulawayo by 240 miles and making Durban the Union port nearest to 

 Rhodesia. In the northern Transvaal, the Pretoria-Pietersburg line was continued to 

 Bandolier Kop (70 m.) and, after lying derelict many years, the old Selati railway was con- 

 tinued to Messina, on the Transvaal side of the Limpopo. 



Public Buildings and Monuments. During 1910-12 over 1,300,000 was spent on public 

 buildings. The most notable are the Union government offices at Pretoria expected to be 

 completed in 1914. The new General Post Office at Pretoria (opened Oct. 1911) is a handsome 

 and commodious Renaissance building. The museum, government library and University 

 College at Pretoria have also been completed. The Houses of Parliament at Cape Town have 

 been enlarged, as have also the Law Courts in that city. New Law Courts have been built 

 at Johannesburg and Durban. A University College has been built at Pietermaritzburg. 

 Over 500,000 was spent on harbour improvements, notably at Durban where a permanent 

 quay wall was built at the harbour entrance while the harbour at Congella was opened up. 



A memorial to Cecil Rhodes has been placed in the Groot Schuur estate on the slopes of 

 Table Mountain. It is a granite temple in the Doric style approached by a flight of steps on 

 either side of which are four lions sculptured by J. M. Swan. At the foot of the steps is G. 

 F. Watts's statue of "Physical Energy " (of which the cast is in Kensington Gardens, London) 

 and in the centre of the temple is a gigantic bust of Rhodes. 



Progress has been made with the new Anglican cathedral in Cape Town. In it was 

 placed in 1912 a magnificently illuminated MS. vellum volume bearing the names of the 

 British slain in the war of 1899-1902. 



In November 1912 it was announced that Mr. Max Michaelas, formerly a partner 

 in the firm of Wernher, Beit & Co., had purchased from Sir Hugh Lane a collection 

 of 46 pictures by old Dutch masters, including paintings by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Jan 

 Steen and Vandyck. These he presented to the Union government to form the nucleus of a 

 national gallery. Sir Hugh Lane had previously formed a collection of modern masters at 

 the Johannesburg Municipal Gallery, of which he was the first honorary director. The 

 Michaelas collection is to be housed at Cape Town. 



Rhodesia. In July 1911 N.E. and N.W. Rhodesia were amalgamated under 'the 

 title of Northern Rhodesia, a change indicative of the recognition that N.E. Rhodesia 

 would follow the fortunes of South Africa rather than those of Nyasaland. The census 

 of April 191 1 showed that the white population of Rhodesia had nearly doubled since 

 1904, but was still very sparse 25,000 persons to 438,000 sq. m. In the 18 months 

 following the taking of the census there were fully 2,000 new European settlers. Over 

 90% of the white inhabitants are natural born British subjects a higher percentage 

 than in any other part of South Africa. The administration remained in the hands of 

 the British South African Company, whose charter does not expire till 1^914. Rhode- 

 sians were divided in their views of the future form of government between three policies 

 (i) a renewal of the charter, (2) entry into the Union of South Africa, (3) a modified form 

 of crown colony government. The party advocating the third alternative was most 

 vocal. It was represented by the Southern Rhodesian League, which formulated its 

 views in November 1912. In December 1912 the Chartered Company announced 

 that the elected members of the Southern Rhodesia Legislative Council would be in- 

 creased from seven to twelve, and the nominated members from five to eight. 



The revenue figures in Southern Rhodesia are: (1910-11) 784,000, (1911-12) 864,000, 



