AFTER SIXTY YEARS

[Music] [Music] the continent of Africa has always stirred man's imagination giving birth to many fabulous stories yet one of Africa's most amazing stories is true covering the period of the last sixty years the story of the building of a vast modern city a thousand miles from Cape Town 400 miles from Durban the Golden City of Johannesburg 60 years ago the area was a barren wilderness its bleakness relieved only by a few Stony Hills isolated streams and occasionally a waterfall one fall greatly impressed the early pioneer farmers and inspired the name they gave to the area this part of rock the ridge of whitewater near this historic landmark in the year 1884 a dramatic episode was enacted an event that was to change the history of South Africa through the discovery made by a lone prospective leaving his camp soon after breakfast he had walked for several hours without finding anything of been tired and thirsty he sat down for a risk suddenly he noticed but the disturbance of rook had taken place in the southern range with the knowledge gained in the hard school of prospecting he realized that this vast upheaval of nature was worth investigating he broke off a sample of the Reformation and took it to a nearby street he founded it up and started to panic out of that crudely crushed piece of rock came almost a teaspoonful of precious gold in his imagination he was no longer alone that vast solitude was filled with men and machines with buildings and homes with the people who would come to the Transpo to reap the golden harvest the news spread quickly men came mostly diggers from Kimberly and Barberton first in a trickle then in a steady stream to seek new fortunes on the pit boxes right [Music] by 1886 two years after the original discovery the South African Republic's President Paul Kruger was watching developments with interest Colonel Ferrara had formed a camp on the new gold field and was preserving law and order this was the humble and colorful beginning of the primitive boomtown that was to grow into the city of Johannesburg and enterprising photographer left us these authentic records of the early days [Music] [Music] by 1891 the small mining village was still growing a Health Committee had been appointed which also acted in the capacity of a town council as ladies and gentlemen this town of Johannesburg is making rapid progress in the five years since it arose from the bare self the value of land and buildings has grown to more than 2 million 700 thousand pounds and it is proposed to introduce an assistant drink Oh toughen in the power I am I beg certainly growing up wonder how long it's gonna last now well it did love it thrives and by 1914 it's solid buildings gave Johannesburg an air of permanence and prosperity although superseded by the new first office the old post office is still in use the law courts were yet another dignified symbol of faith to foster cultural development a public library was founded and near the center of the city a general hospital with erected the town administration moved out of its makeshift headquarters in the old king temple into the new Town Hall these were undeniable signs the Johannesburg had achieved permanent with the town's growing importance the citizens became more conscious of their civic and national responsibilities and election time was always a period of feverish activity [Music] yeah but town was growing all right spreading out in all direction and the town council was kept busy constructing new roads and improving old one and even in those days people went hiking nowadays we never see locust but then they were commonplace when they arrived you just kissed your garden goodbye the ex mining camp was certainly growing up of stripping all the older cities in the Union Johannesburg celebrated its 40th anniversary but amid the merrymaking it still remembered its trailblazing pioneers the men who had sex hundreds of miles to lay the foundations of a great and prosperous community [Music] [Music] ten years later to celebrate two Henneberg 50th anniversary the mammoth 1936 Empire exhibition with health a magnificent spectacle it attracted businessmen and tourists from all over the world never had the mining camp prestige stood higher this was the city that the union's Prime Minister general Smuts gazed down upon he had seen a flourish from its earliest boisterous childhood built on the gold nine thousands of feet beneath its busy highways all along the reef at depth exceed miles the drilling goes on daily the explosive charges are put in place requiring skill and extremely careful handling over 45,000 tons of explosives are used every year in blasting the rock face and then comes the moment when the fuses are lift and the miners run for safety the broken rocks must be cleared from the confined spaces where it has been blasted loaded onto trucks and brought to a central tipping place to be hauled to the surface every year over 75 million tons are handled in this manner the ore is crushed in the stamp mill before going to the reduction plant with modern recovery methods less than one and a half percent of the gold is loved [Music] and so after many intricate processes the feingold emerges from the crucible and is molded into bars ready for the bullion market each bar weighs about 400 ounces and is valued at 3,500 pounds adding to the annual total of 100 million pounds produced by the union's gold max its births remains in the living memory of many of its inhabitants its future will depend on the knowledge and energy of its younger generation preparing them for their responsibilities the University of the Witwatersrand ranks among the world's bit [Music] but Johannesburg is not standing still to the observer there is daily evidence of a robust improvement and expansion in the forefront of this rapid development the City Council controls its many activities from the city hall the nerve center of a vast organization employing 23,000 men and women here the Treasury Department receives the contributions of its ratepayers and deals with all the intricacies of municipal finesse [Music] now let us consider what the rate payer receives in return for his money first there are the parks the lungs of the city almost 6000 acres of magnificent parkland where the people of all races and all ages can risk and relax [Music] a fair piece of coffee has been transformed into a natural paradise of indigenous South African flowers it's called the wild sporting facilities have been provided by the council for a vast sports-loving public rugby of course still remains the national sport this is Ellis Park which is also the venue of national and international tennis match municipal quarters are open for the golfer two bowlers have been implicated four and the standard of play is rising every year in the heat of the summer a dozen unis pulse running birth provides cool healthy recreation they also provide facilities for into school into club and interprovincial swimming competition [Music] Johannesburg has one of the finest zoos in the world beautifully laid out in well-kept garden it's open to all free of admission and is particularly popular on Sunday afternoon [Music] [Music] so much for relaxation but what about the necessities of life with a population of 3/4 of a million the provision of water is no mean undertaking but there's never any shortage even in the worst drought either for domestic use or for used in firefighting a weapon in the hands of the fire brigade it saves millions of pounds anyway in Johannesburg gas is not used for lighting it is consumed primarily for cooking and for professional and industrial purposes the ratepayer is saved a large part of this gas bill by the sale of five products such as car and its subsidiary products and coke the most important power by a modern city is electricity this is produced by a gigantic installations and it's put to many uses thousands of units are used daily by the city's transportation system with its vast network of electric trams and trolleybuses [Music] with one of the highest murder car owner ratios of any city in the world the traffic department has a full-time car in regulating the Evenflo of vehicles in the street during the P cars on the roads leading to native townships non European officials control the traffic Johannesburg has its own peculiar problems but speed merchants are the same the world over one of the city councils main obligations is the maintenance of public health under the heading of prevention comes the cleaning of streets disposal of waste and destruction of disease-carrying Road [Music] food sold to the public is another source of danger all milk is inspected a big undertaking when one considers the immense quantities brought in daily at the abbatoirs meat is inspected to see that it's wholesome and free from disease but supervision goes very much further and includes the inspection of factories and establishments handling fruits such as sausage factories factories making sweets and confectionery grocery stores selling provisions restaurants serving meals and native eating counters even barber shops and hairdressing saloons are watch further Civic enterprises include the market which handles the city's fruits and vegetables for those who find it difficult to get to town mobile market bring fruits and vegetables at market prices to the southern to those in straighten circumstances the state aided distribution of necessities is a tremendous help the city's health services are at the disposal of its citizens right through their life in fact it starts in the prenatal clinic even before they're born later on mothers are encouraged to bring their babies in at regular intervals [Music] treatment is carried outside the walls of the clinic into the mother's own home and health visitors check up regularly on the city's precious youth when the child is a little older council financed nursery school plays their part under qualified nursery teacher the youth club is there to develop the young people's physical welfare and character to build sturdy citizens for the days that lie ahead for working girls there's a hostel where they can live in comfortable surroundings with other girls of their own age and interest for the less fortunate the hope home subsidized by the City Council helps them to overcome their tragic handicap and to face life with confidence and cheerful determination [Music] [Music] responsibilities of controlling the city's growth and avoiding the mistakes made 50 years ago narrow streets and overcrowding must give way to a more ordered expansion for the city's workers laid out in new suburbs according to some preconceived plan dwellings must be built for them at the lowest possible margin of profit the breeding places of crime and disease must be wiped out to make room for better housing and healthier conditions a colossal undertaking it cannot be achieved overnight slums that have sprung up like rotten mushrooms must give way to progress Orlando township which houses over 60,000 johannesburg non-europeans is an example of what is being done these native township overcrowded as they are provide the native with a house he can take pride in [Music] in such self-contained communities there are schools and many of the students graduate to the native University College at Fort Hare in the cape province for natives who want to trade there are vocational training centers [Music] medical attention and hospitalization play a growing part in the care of the native population the number of natives treated in these fine institutions has thrown out of all proportion and is still growing firstly because there's an increasing flow of natives to the city and secondly because they are discarding the quackery of the native witch doctor in favor of the Shura methods of modern science the Mai Mai bazaar cater solely for the native yeah he can get anything from a suit of clothes to a haircut [Music] ladies beer holes run by the non-european Affairs Committee supply kapha beer a healthy cereal brew infinitely preferable to bathtub spirits made in backyards among the natives thought is encouraged and the bond to sports clubs attracts many dusty enthusiasts [Music] in the evening the pond to main social center provides indoor recreation it may not be scientific but there's plenty of action but the people of Johannesburg have not neglected the things of the mind and the art gallery is a rich storehouse of cultural treasures in addition to South African works there are many examples of the work of famous artists from other countries [Music] in the heart of the city stands the public library in this building is the Afrikaner museum containing many priceless relics of the country's eventful history parties of school children find that this collection lends perspective and add interest to their historical study [Music] [Music] another room in the library buildings is devoted to exhibition arranged by individuals or artistic organizations such as ballet group [Music] in the library itself the reading room contains newspapers and periodicals published in every country in the world the reference library offers a wealth of information on every subject Under the Sun the lending library has over a quarter of a million books available to borrowers absolutely free of charge for those who find it hard to get to the library mobile libraries visit a suburb that regular time bringing reading matter to their very gates the service is extended to hospitals to help break up for long monotonous hours of the patient to the African in Western native township the Winifred Holtby Memorial Library brings literature in 19 different languages and strange as it may seem most of the borrowers can read at least four languages playing a vital part in the direction of the city's activities is the general purposes committee consisting mainly of chairmen of other committees it considers matters of general policy and makes recommendations to the City Council regarding the introduction of new projects and the maintenance of existing one maintenance in itself is a vast undertaking the municipal workshops make this task possible at the same time keeping down costs and avoiding unnecessary delay [Music] trams and putties which cover almost fantastic marriages require regular overhauls to keep them in service with peak periods occurring at least twice a day Johannesburg's enormous transportation system carries the workers into the city every morning and back to their homes at the end of the day every year 134 million passengers are carried and fares amount to one and a half million pounds [Music] as night falls the city takes on a fresh beauty so fitting with a new life a pride social life in which its citizens find entertainment and relaxation but the direction of the city's development often keeps the City Council working late and relaxation is denied to these public spirited citizens who directs the city's Affairs Council meetings are presided over by the mayor on this the 60th anniversary the principal citizen was a woman before the city's annual budget is presented by the chairman of the Finance Committee let's turn back the pages of history to a similar meeting a brief 50 years ago this town of Johannesburg is making rapid progress in the five years since it arose from the bare belt the value of land and buildings has grown to more than two million seven hundred thousand pounds today the rateable value of lands and buildings stands at over one hundred and fifty five million pounds the city's total assets amounts to fifty three and three-quarter million which is nearly 20 millions in excess of total liabilities in the comfort of their own home newspaper headlines bring to it three quarters of a million citizens the story of a miracle of modern achievements a miracle of farsightedness and wise direction that have turned Ferrara's camp in the short span of only 60 years into the illustrious up-to-date City of Johannesburg a fabulous tale that is a reality a stately monument to one of man's greatest endeavors [Music]