168 
A COLONY IN THE MAKING 
CHAP. 
the main one is the old law of supply and demand. 
Firstly, the demand is not regular. Certain crops, 
such as coffee, require for harvest large gangs of 
labourers, but during the rest of the year comparatively 
few. Then again the Public Works Department or 
some large private enterprise may make an extra¬ 
ordinary demand on the resources to hand. Such 
cases would be the construction of the Fort Hall 
tramway by the Government or of the Magadi 
Railway by a public company. The supply also is 
not constant. The various labour-supplying tribes 
have large Reserves allotted to them—perhaps too 
large. In these the natives cultivate crops. When 
these crops are good, they produce a considerable 
surplus of food, which is sold and goes towards paying 
the taxes imposed ; consequently, the labour supply is 
less when the crop is heavy than when it is light. 
Every year a greater area of these Reserves is put 
under cultivation and that under a more valuable crop, 
and though the native population is also increasing, 
probably the labour supply tends at present to get 
smaller. It will not be until these Reserves are either 
completely filled up, or else reduced in area, that 
anything like a constant labour supply can be cal¬ 
culated on. 
Some five years ago, owing to various causes—the 
principal one being a very heavy native crop—there 
was a considerable shortage of labour. The settlers 
held various meetings and expressed their views in the 
loud and indignant manner that is common to 
all Colonials, and indeed not unknown at home. 
Naturally the Government came in for abuse and 
the very generally expressed sentiment was this: 
“ The native won’t work ; he must be made to work, 
