IN THE MID-NINETEENTH CENTURY the young Colony of Natal was faced with a shortage of suitable labour. The European settlers were too few to meet the requirements of the colony's development and in any case were unsuited to do much of the necessary work. It is true that there was a large potential reserve of African labourers, but in general at that time they were not conditioned to the labour needs of the expanding industries. Unaccustomed to regular work, the African did not take easily to contractual and continuous employment, and employers were forced to look elsewhere for a source of regular and reliable labour.......