"How were you impressed with Natal?"
"I was very much struck by its beauty and its fitness for a white
population. There was one curious anomaly, however, in the fact that
the natives in Natal are very numerous, and yet the Colonists suffer
from a deficiency of labour. Ships often lie at the wharves for days,
waiting for coal, because labourers cannot be got to put it on board.
At the same time the labour party, or the white man's party, at Durban
are complaining that the coolies are being brought to Natal in too great
numbers."
"Those are points in economic development that want immediate tackling?"
"Something should be done to start the enlistment of Zulus of Natal in
its labour forces for the development of the State. It is a most
interesting little State, very quietly governed, and the people are an
exceptional class of Colonists, but they seem to have some problems
before them which will tax the ability of future Ministries."
"The coolie immigration question, I take it, is not one of the least of
these?"
"That is so. There are masses of white men in England and on the
Continent, it seems to me, who would jump at the opportunity of getting
allotments of land in Natal. The Government might do worse than afford
some greater facilities for the importation of white labour. In Natal
there are 45,000 white men against 400,000 Zulus. In addition to that
they have taken Zululand with about half a million of Zulus, so that
there are now 45,000 whites against 900,000 blacks."
"Then, in your opinion, that mass of blacks wants leavening by the
introduction of white men. The immigration would have to be worked from
this end, would it not?"
"Yes, they would have to be liberally treated for the first few years to
induce them to go. Natal, as I have said, is a very lovely country.
There are enormous estates railed off for sheep and cattle raising, and
it seemed to me that I saw more places there fit for small estates of
white men than in any other part of the country, excepting Rhodesia."
Mr Stanley was careful to further emphasise the exception to his rule
furnished by Rhodesia.
"That opens up a very interesting question," remarked the interviewer,
"for emigration from this country has been allowed to take its own
course without much assistance, save from the emigration agencies, who,
of course, have to be approached by intending emigrants instead of
approaching them."