358 SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.— F. 



results to be obtained in peace. Special proposals on similar Unea were put forward" 

 at the Imperial Conference, 1923. The poaaibility of agreements between producers' 

 and consumers' co-operative associations is an allied policy. Conclusion as to the 

 feasibility of the method of control of imports. 



Dr. J. M. TiNLEY. — (1) Introduction. — Reason for importance of problem. 

 Question of surpluses. Depression in agriculture. 



(2) Meaning of Stabilisation and Objects. — Difference between problem of season, 

 annual and cyclical fluctuations in price and production. 



Commodities on import or local basis and commodities on an export basis. 

 Perishable and non-perishable commodities have different problem. Elasticity of 

 supply and price forecasting. 



(3) Difficulties in way of Stabilisation. 



(a) Inadequate education of farmers — inaccurate price and production (crop 

 reporting) data and insufficient research into price -making factors. 



(b) Disorganisation of marketing machinery for interpreting supply and demand 

 factors. 



(c) Difficulty of erecting machinery to stabihse prices. Composition of controlling 

 organisation. Necessity for avoiding pohtics and basing decisions on facts of case. 

 Steps to control production which is essential to stabilisation of prices. Financing. 



(4) Special Problems in South Africa. — Low cost of production of most export 

 commodities. Violent fluctuation in production due mainly to climatic conditions. 

 Disorganisation of local markets. Lack of fundamental statistical data. 



(5) Possible Developments. — Collection of price, production and other data. Re- 

 search studies of elasticity of supply for different commodities. More efficient means 

 for acquainting farmers with economic principles involved. Development and 

 improvement of co-operative movement. Eventual formation of Boards for different 

 commodities. Interpretation of economic data and. advice to farmers. Control 

 through credit and fertiliser distribution. 



Thursday, July 25. 



Joint Discussion (Sections F, H) on The Economic Cotnpetition between 

 Advanced and Backward Peoples. — Prof. H. Clay. 



Friday, July 26. 



Prof. J. W. F. Grosskopf. — The Agricultural Land of South Africa and 

 its Users. 



During the last thirty to forty years South Africa has rapidly been passing out of 

 the ' pioneer stage,' although the process is by no means complete in all sections. 

 The mineral wealth carmot continue to be tapped as it has been. Leaving aside th» 

 question of the mechanical industries, it is being recognised more and more generally 

 that a larger output — not only absolutely, but relatively — of pastoral and agricultural 

 products, is essential to a healthy economic Ufe. 



Aa South Africa is not rich in natural resources compared with many other ' new * 

 countries, the most economic use of the national soil is of the utmost importance. 

 But immense portions of the Union suffer from an insufficient and irregular supply 

 of water ; whilst irrigation — in a country possessing no great rivers — can practically 

 aim at little more than collecting as much as possible of the rain that does fall over 

 a wide surface, and utilising this for a very small proportion of the land. 



The typical form of settlement since the eighteenth century has been that of 

 isolated homesteads on very large farms, chiefly due to the scarcity of open water and 

 to the sparaeness of the aboriginal population. The pastoral tradit on dominated the 

 ' trek ' towards the north. A wasteful use of land resources was usual ; and a very 

 strong individualistic spirit of private ownership, and a greed for large holdings (often 

 accompanied at a later stage by land speculation) became common. The advent of 

 more modern conditions did not bring about a rapid change. 



As population grew, the poorer and less efficient members of the white community 

 were pushed into more distant or inferior sections ; or they obtained the use of land 

 from the larger owners under rather informal agreements. 



