The mining industry : evidence and report of the industrial commission of enquiry

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Summary

The 19th-century gold rush was an important factor in the tension between Dutch and English settlers that led to the Second Boer War. This 1895 work on the mining industry of the Transvaal covers g...

The 19th-century gold rush was an important factor in the tension between Dutch and English settlers that led to the Second Boer War. This 1895 work on the mining industry of the Transvaal covers geological, economic and legal aspects of gold mining in this significant period of South African history. The mining industry was a fundamental part of the economy of South Africa in the late 19th century, and control of the region's gold mines was a significant factor in the tension between Dutch and English settlers that led to the Second Boer War in 1899. In 1889 the Witwatersrand Chamber of Mines had been formed to promote the industry's development. Economic problems in the region led the Volksraad of the South African Republic to set up a Commission of Enquiry in 1897 to investigate high tariffs, labour and transport costs which were adversely affecting the mining industry.

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