RHODESIA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1045, 7 February 1911, Page 4

RHODESIA.

AN OVER-BOOMED COUNTRT. Rhodesia, according to Mr. S. O'Neill, a South African who is now on a visit to Wellington, is a country that has been very much over-boomed. "Mr. O'Neill, it may be stated, recently spent a month travelling in Rhodesia and has had extended opportunities of' communicating .with Rhodesian settlers and other residents of the country. The Chartered Company. Mr. O'Neill remarked, offered fair faciliti* l * to but they did not compare with facilities ofiered by Australia to prospective settlers m the Northern Territory and in Queensland. Rhodesia was fertile over a great part of its area, but against til's had to be set the fact that malaria existed nearly everywhere. The climate could only be described as extremely unhealthy. The geographical situation of Rhodesia was in itself a big factor opposing rapid development. Bounded bv Portuguese and territo"-, mul on the south by the Transvaal, it had no sea ports in its own territory, and lay at a great distance froni the few available ports of neighbouring states. In any event, enormous transport charges would have to be borne in sending goods out of Rhodesia, while if they were sent to the nearest port, Beira and De'agoa Bav. heavy duties would also liavo to be paid! Both ports lay in Portuguese territory, and the Portuguese Government levied stiff duties 011 goods passing either to or from the ports. The best opening for men of small capital in Rhodesia was mining. Parties of two or three sometimes obtained good returns in working small claims.

"The championship boat race on the Zambesi," said 51 r. O'Neill, "was in itself nothing else than an advertising manoeuvre. I have no doubt ,of this. It was the most outlandish place in the world to row a rnco ill, and it would be hard to assign a man a worse place in which to train. The great rowing event was a world-wide advertisement for Rhodesia, and I am persuaded that tho whole thin" was arranged with that end in view." °