ABSTRACT

An attempt has been made to trace the history of the various systems of labour management in Africa, both past and present, and to deduce there from an estimate of the native's attitude to wage-earning. The most practical aspect of this survey lies in the consideration of the various influences which may act as incentives to the seeking of employment; both the quantity and the efficiency of the supply available will largely depend upon the reasons actuating the workman in his appearance in the labour market. It may be apposite to consider the reasons influencing the native who leaves home without pressure to seek wage-earning employment; the manual worker in mines, agriculture, lumbering, and such enterprises, is under consideration rather than the more advanced, skilled or semi-skilled, who may desire a permanent situation. The incentives may be classed as follows: tax, tribal obligations, and desire for imported articles, coupled with a wish for adventure.