bears the name of the great man who secured it to Great Britain, will be glad to learn that, although the output at present is by no means sensational, it appears to be steadily increasing. Up to March, 1901, the total produced, during somewhat intermittent working over a period of four years, amounted to £793,884.
The recorded output afterwards is:
| Year ending March 31, | 1902 | 650,752 |
| „„ | 1903 | 713,909 |
| „„ | 1904 | 851,807 |
| „„ | 1905 | 1,120,528 |
| Total | £4,130,880 |
For the four months April to July of the present year the production has been roughly at the rate of £1,400,000 per annum. The total value of gold exported from South Africa up to the present reaches the important sum of £140,910,308.
The growing needs of the mining industry are reflected in the trade returns. Two typical years may be selected — namely, 1898, the one preceding the war; and 1903, the last year for which complete returns are obtainable. It may be of interest to present the figures in tabulated form, because certain references may be made to them later on, and because the returns from Delagoa Bay are included:
| Imports. £ |
Exports. £ | ||
| Cape Colony | 16,621,354 | 24,423,413 | |
| Natal | 5,369,672 | 2,202,021 | |
| Delagoa Bay | 751,931 | 16,800 | |
| Total | £22,742,957 | £26,642,234 | |
| Total,[1] including goods in transit (roughly) | £24,000,000 | £27,000,000 |
- ↑ The transit trade of Delagoa Bay, in addition to the imports and exports given above, amounted to £1,170,082. No separate
