. But the
demands of the military traffic were so enormous that opportunities
for ordinary traffic were still rigorously restricted.

"Military requirements in food supplies, remounts and munitions
of war," Lord Milner wrote, "represented 29,000 tons weekly from
the ports; while the movements of men and horses to and fro over
the [then] huge theatre of war were as constant as they were
sudden."

None the less the civil traffic was increasing. While in August only
684 refugees had returned, in November the number had risen to 2,623;
and while in August the tonnage of civil supplies forwarded to
Bloemfontein and the Transvaal was 4,612, in November it was 8,522.
This result, moreover, had been obtained with the old rolling-stock,
and a much more rapid progress was anticipated in the future, since
the additional rolling-stock had already begun to arrive. And in
anticipation of this increased rate of progress, the Commander-in-Chief
had

"now seen his way to allow the mines to start 400 fresh stamps
per month, as against an average of under 100 in previous months,
and had also consented to the grant of 1,600 permits a month
(representing about 4,000 persons) for return to the Transvaal."

In addition to the repair and reorganisation of the lines running to
the coast, the Transvaal collieries had been re-opened and the coal
traffic had been resumed. Not only had progress been made in stocking
the mines with coal, timber, and machinery, preparatory to the full
resumption of working activity, but the large unemployed native
population found in Johannesburg at the time of Lord Milner's arrival
had been utilised for the construction of a new and much-needed coal
line, which ran for thirteen miles along the Rand.

"This short line," Lord Milner wrote, "would have no less than
thirty to forty miles of sidings leading from it to every
important mine, and securing direct delivery of about 1,000,000
tons of coal per annum, as well as of a large tonnage of general
stores."

[Sidenote: Development by railways.]

And then follows a statement of the part to be played by railway
construction in the policy of material development, which was pursued
with such determination by Lord Milner after the restoration of peace.

"It seems almost superfluous to argue the case for further
railway development in South Africa, and especially in the new
coloni