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The Life-history of the Native Mine Labourer in the Transvaal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

L. G. Irvine  and
D. Macaulay
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In the month of June, 1905, no fewer than 99,518 natives were employed on mines and works in the labour districts of the Witwatersrand, and the neighbouring mining areas of Klerksdorp, Heidelberg, and Vereeniging. In addition to these there were also working on the gold mines over 45,000 Chinese labourers. This vast industrial army is recruited from many and in great measure from very distant sources. Of the natives employed during the year ending June, 1905, the whole of British South Africa furnished only just over 32%: less than 2% came from British Central Africa: 60% were drawn from the Southern Portuguese East Coast provinces; and 3.6% from the Portuguese provinces north of latitude 22°. German South-West Africa contributed under 1%, but this area has latterly ceased to be a source of supply.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , April 1906 , pp. 149 - 174
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1906

References

1 [According to quite recent official figures the death-rates per 1000 for the year 1905 were 47·1 for native labourers and 18.4 for Chinese labourers.

In order to afford some standard of comparison we add the following death-dates for England and Wales, compiled from the data given in Part II of the last decennial Supplement (1897) to the Annual Reports of the Registrar-General.

There appear to be no available statistics showing the death-rate of South African natives when employed under ordinary conditions in agricultural or other work, and it must be borne in mind that this death-rate may be considerably higher than among Europeans in Europe. Editorial Note.]