SOUTH AFRICA.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 July 1926, Page 4

SOUTH AFRICA.

THE LAND OF SUNSHINE.

Mr Robert Bell, who spent livo weeks in the Union of South Airiea eu route to Great Britain, writes from .Natal as follows: “Durban is semi-tropical, and in its climate reminds ine ol Brisbane. 1 lie minute one lands, if from a British community in the temperate /one, Inis impressed with the great difleiciue in everything that meets the eyo. Tropical trees and plants and flowers in brilliant colourings attract bis attention. The stream of humanity flowing along the well-paved streets also reminds him that he is in a different land, for he cannot but observe that for every one European there is one non-European. “The non-European people are, of course, for the larger part members of the South'African tribes, though there are a large number of* Indians also. The Zulus, a fine, well-built type of men, are employed in the rickshaw business, and wear picturesque headgear composed of bullock’s horns, and gaily painted feathers. The life ol these men after entering the service is said to be about throe years, for, apart from the strenuous nature of their calling. which strains the heart, they si l around in the rain waiting for fares and catch pneumonia, which carries them off. The Indians make excellent waiters in the hotels, and many of them are Natalinns by birth. They are well educated, efficient and very obliging. The kaffirs are employed as hewers of wood and drawers of water. All this coloured labour is cheap, and this,from ray very own short experience makes for cheaper living. It lias also solved the domestic help problem— ! or perhaps I should say there has never been a problem to solve. The hotel tariffs are certainly lower than in New Zealand. “Durban lias an excellent harbour. It is the gateway to, and the outlet of Eastern South Africa. It is a vast circular basin surrounded by high land, but requires dredging and reclaiming of the foreshores, for when the tide is out there are great stctchos of mud exposed. This is all in progress, however, and time and work will tell their tale. Already there are big works well up the harbour, such as Lever Bros.’ soap works, sugar refineries, sawmills, engineering works, etc., and in course of erection at present is a great maize elevator with a capacity of <IO,OOO tons. Maize is one of the principal products of this and adjoining States of the Union. “Durban aims at being the port not only of Natal, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal, hut of Southern Rhodesia, as goods going to the port of Rhodesia (Beiral are sometimes subject to "delay on account of the railway near Beira being swamped in the rainy season and thrown out of use. The dock at Durban for repairing ships is the second largest in the world, so what is being done is on a

large scale, and with an eyo to the future. Durban’s principal competitor from a maritime point of view is Delagoa, Bay, in Portugeuse territory; but I understand from business men that the taihoa policy of the authorities is against expansion of the port as a .trading inlet and exit, consequently Durban scores.”