TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION Ff. 487 
the extension of the plants of other mines. The three chief items were plant and 
buildings, reduction plant excluding engines, and treatment plant including 
furnaces, &c., the values of which form respectively 19°47 per cent., 15°56 per 
cent., and 13°80 per cent. of the total. 
The number of prime movers on June 30, 1904, was 1,516, with an indicated 
horse-power of 211,319, and the total number of boilers was 1,977. 
The aggregate horse-power of the intermediate machinery and of the driven 
machinery was, respectively, 84,738 and 186,871. 
Water Conservation.—The estimated maximum storage capacity on June 30, 
1904, of the dams and reservoirs on gold, diamond, and coal mines, and on 
metallurgical and chemical works, was 4,150,000,000 gallons, while the estimated 
quantity of water stored in them on that date was 3,607,243,300 gallons. There 
was also an additional quantity of 470,745,500 gallons stored in pans and wells. 
Capital._The nominal capital on June 30, 1904, of 339 mining companies 
from whom returns were received by the Department of Mines was 111,416,1024., 
of which 98,891,499/. had been issued, leaving 12,524,603/. in reserve. During 
the year ending June 30, 1904, 37 of these mining companies, with an issued 
capital of 17,412,0341., paid dividends amounting to 3,835,565/., equal to a rate of 
22-03 per cent. The total amount paid in dividends from 1887 to 1904, inclusive, 
by gold mines of the Witwatersrand was 28,551,906/. : 
_3. The Development and Working of Railways in the Colony of Natal. 
By Sir Daviv Hunter, K.CILG. 
4. The Colonial Lands of Natal. By Roperr \ ABABRELTON. 
Natal has been a British possession for more than half a century. Natal 
proper contains approximately 12,000,000 acres. It is of importance to notice 
the manner in which that land has been dealt with bythe Colony. Zululand and 
the ‘Northern Territories’ (till lately forming part of the Transvaal), having 
lately been annexed to Natal, are excluded from consideration in this paper. 
Prior to occupation by Europeans, different tribes of Bantus ‘squatted’ on the 
land, cultivating small plots here and there, removing to other plots when the soil 
became exhausted or more suitable spots were found, or the squatters were ousted 
by a superior tribe. The cultivation was very poor, principally by the women. 
It is reported that, owing to Tshaka’s raids from Zululand, the Bantus in Natal 
proper were almost exterminated, only about thirty remaining between the Zulu- 
land border and the Umzimkulu. Individual ownership of land was unknown. 
Tribal lands were held by the chief on behalf of his tribe. 
The Dutch, under Retief, entered Natal in 1837. At that time, and for some 
years later, it was customary for the Dutch settler to claim as his ‘farm’ as much 
land as he could ride round between sunrise and sunset. 
In South Africa the word ‘farm’ is used for any extent of land under one 
ownership, whether cultivated or uncultivated. 
The British occupation, at first only of what is now the town of Durban and 
the surrounding country, took place in 1838-1839. 
The Dutch Republic of Natalia, which practically meant the remaining portion 
of Natal proper, with its capital at Pietermaritzburg, was proclaimed on Decem- 
ber 24, 1839. With the exception of Durban it exercised jurisdiction over all 
Natal proper. 
Natal as a whole became a British colony on May 10, 1845. It was annexed 
to Cape Colony in 1845, At this time all the lands of the Colony were considered 
to belong to the Crown, but as they were dealt with by the Colonial Government, 
with very little interference from the authorities in England, they may fairly be 
called the ‘colonial’ lands of Natal. 
Grants of these colonial lands were made from time to time to Boer farmers, 
to towns and villages, and for native or mission purposes, &c. The Boer farmers, 
