Periodical Wool Sales

The woolwashing industry was at its best in the seventies, and in February, 1876, Mr. PHILPOTT, Chairman of the Council, moved that the time had arrived when periodical wool sales should be held in Uitenhage, and that steps should be taken to establish the same.

He had been told by a leading merchant of Port Elizabeth that this was a step Uitenhage ought to take. But at that time a considerable amount of bitterness, or rather of jealousy, existed between the two towns, and the Chairman intimated that although the Port Elizabeth people believed Uitenhage ought to hold these sales, it would be a long time before they hinted that such a step should be adopted.

Farming in the district

A period of prosperity for the farmers set in in the early days, and this continued for some time. In 1861 forage was selling at £3 per hundred small bundles, and in 1863 the oat crops were unusually fine. There was a great deal of rust in the wheat, but the yield was considerably above the average, both in quantity and in quality. Many horses died of nieuwe siekte [?], but stock was otherwise doing well.

The Agricultural Society was doing splendid work in the district, and everything, according to the Magistrate's report pointed to plenty of spirited competition at the next show. The previous year had been an exceptionally good one from a farmer's point of view, as meal had sold freely at 50/- a muid, forage realised from £2 to £2 5s per hundred bundles, meat was quoted at 7d. per lb., and bread fetched 6d per 1 lb. loaf.

Farming was therefore carried on with great success in the district until 1864, when a fearful drought set in, which lasted for a very considerable period.

Humansdorp was once a large sheep farming district, but a farm which once carried its thousands of sheep will not now support its hundreds, and so the wool-growing industry that once enriched the district is now a memory of the past. There is no authentic reason given for the many diseases now prevalent among sheep and the impossibility of rearing them on farms on which they once bred freely, but many people account for it in the general impoverishment of the soil, consequent on the practice of grass-burning, which it still obtains. Pastoral farming in Humansdorp is now limited to the breeding of cattle, horses, ostriches and a few sheep, whilst the agriculturists grow little beyond forage, which is exceptionally good in some parts.

In 1865 things had taken a decided turn for worse, for we are told that it was the worst season known for years, as drought, scarcity of money, shortness of credit, and sickness in man and beast had been working injuriously against the farmer. At this time meal was selling at £2 10s. per muid, mealies at 20/-, and potatoes at 15 - to 18/-.

Matters gradually improved, however, and the year 1867 is described in the Civil Commissioner's report as the most favourable one for seven years Cereals were sown largely, and forage, which sold the previous year at £3 to £4 per l00 bales, now only realised 10/- on the local market. Aquatic birds of every description, which had been long unknown in the district, now reappeared in large numbers on the formation of large sheets of water after the copious rains that had fallen. Sheep farmers at this period suffered considerably, in many cases losing a third of their flock from a new disease, which appeared to be water on the heart.

Sheep Farming, Jansenville

The district of Jansenville is the north-east part of the division of Uitenhage, and includes a narrow strip of Somerset East. It was formed into a district in September, 1874, and comprised twelve freehold farms, in extent 15,947 morgen; 118 quitrent, 297,563 morgen; 31 pieces of land leased under Act 19 of 1864, in extent 23,827 morgen, and 29 pieces of Crown land, leased annually, in extent 97,370 morgen, making an area of about 1,500 square miles.

The northern part is open country, intersected by ranges of low hills; the flats are covered with karroo and vygeboschjes [sic], in good seasons mixed with grass, towards Jansenville interspersed with norse and bush. The hills are clothed with spekboom and other nourishing trees and shrubs.

Sheep farming is carried on with success in this part.

The country towards the west, the Zwart Ruggens is flat, slightly undulating, covered with wild pomegranate and a valuable plant called vingerpol, and, in good seasons, grass.

The veld is eminently adapted for all kinds of small stock, Angora goats especially. The southern boundary is the Zuurberg range, where the country is very rugged and only fit for cattle and goats. The boundary on the east is the Riet and Sundays Rivers. This is cattle country, but best adapted for the Cape goat.

WOOLWASHING IN UITENHAGE

The industry of woolwashing was established in Uitenhage in the year 1858, and has been the means, together with the railway works and market gardening, of ensuring the prosperity of the town.

In the early days Messrs Uppleby and Co. began a business on the site of the present Union Works, with Mr. B. HARVEY as manager, followed by Messrs. HEUGH and FLEMING, afterwards F. and P. LANGE, Mr. GUBB (succeeded by his son, Mr. T. GUBB), and Messrs. ROBERTSHAW, STRATFORD, NIVEN, INGGS, SPENCE, SKINNER, BUTLER, GREWAR, and CLARK.

In the year 1866 the Springfield Woolwashing Company started under the late Mr. H. W. INGGS, and was carried on successfully for many years. In the year 1873 this company purchased the Union Works, and subsequently built a new works in Despatch. In 1882 Mr. INGGS severed his connection with the Springfield Company and established a business at Kruis River, which he conducted until his death in 1892, when he was succeeded by his son, Mr. Herbert INGGS.

The price charged for washing in 1858 was a half penny per lb. In 1868 there were eight establishments on the banks of Zwartkops River, and three of them were worked by steam power. They afforded employment for a large number of labourers of both sexes, at an average rate of wages of 2s. per day.

The greatest portion, or nearly all of it, was native labour, and the money earned by these people in the season was about £630 per week, but it did not benefit the town as it would have done if paid to Europeans, as the natives mostly came from Kaffraria in parties of eight or ten, spent as little of their earnings as possible, and hoarded the greatest portion to purchase cattle and return to their own native country.

Sheep farming

In 1873 there were nine establishments in the town, all of them in constant work night and day. They were worked by steam power, and extensive-improvements and enlargements to the machinery were constantly being made. All maintained their high reputation for washing wool with cleaner and better results than were achieved in any other part of the Colony.

In 1872 there were only seven in operation, but in 1874 the number of establishments had grown to ten, and were still doing well, finding constant employment for several hundred male and female labourers at high wages. There were, at one period, eleven woolwashing; businesses on the banks of the Zwartkops River, extending for a.distance of nine miles.

At present there are only three interests with five woolwashes. These are Messrs. GUBB and INGGS, who have amalgamated the businesses of Messrs. GUBB, INGGS, and the Springfield Company, and Messrs. C. ROBERTSHAW and A. C. SCHADY.

The reasons why six out of eleven woolwashers have closed down are not difficult to understand. Woolwashing is a process requiring considerable knowledge and skill. A delicate fibre requires careful handling in order to prevent damage which would render it unfit for the subsequent process of manufacture.

While improvements were being made in England and on the Continent, the local washers were content to continue with the crude methods then in use. On the introduction of the Scab Act much difficulty was caused in washing by the effect of the dips on the fleeces, and the result was that the method in use was unsuitable to the new conditions.

The increased cost and the low rates charged owing to competition rendered the business unprofitable. The result was that one after the other closed down and the industry was threatened with extinction. The industry can be revived by the introduction of scientific methods of treating the wool, by which the product can be made more acceptable to the buyers.

Sheep farming

The industry is of considerable value to the Colony, and should receive all possible assistance from the Government. The importation of soaps, duty free, is the only assistance given at present, and although the washers have been grateful for this privilege, it is thought that more could be done to foster the industry until it is again fairly established.

A short account of the method of washing may be of interest. In the early days the wool was opened out from the bales and steeped in cold water in a wooden trough. The natives then washed the wool about with their feet, after which it was taken to the drying floors and dried by the natural warmth of our climate.

An improvement was made by having two baths, one hot and one cold. The fleeces being innocent of sheep dip, a fair result was obtained. The natives sometimes objected to working in the cold water in a half nude condition, so mechanical means were sought. The introduction of a rotary washer worked by steam power, the invention of which is attributed to the late Mr. NIVEN, and the use of tanks in which the wool was forked by hand was the next improvement.

A local firm sent it's representative to Verviers and imported the first set of machinery. This was known as the "Leviathan" and was extensively copied, but strange to relate, the essential device was omitted, owing to the difficulty of making it locally.

In 1890 three sets of machines were imported from Rochdale, but was not efficiently used.

Messrs. GUBB and INGGS have these machines in use, and have adopted the latest methods of washing. In reviewing the past history of this industry it appears that true competition should be improved methods to enable a superior article to be produced at a lesser cost if possible.

SOURCE:
Uitenhage
Past and Present
1804-1904