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Rh Inhabitants.—At the census of May 3 1921 the white inhabitants of Southern Rhodesia numbered 33,621, compared with 23,606 in 1911 and 12,596 in 1904. In 1921 males numbered 18,987 and females 14,634. The increase per cent, in the male pop. in the 10 years was 21.87, that of the female pop. 82.23. The natives in 1921 numbered 845,593, compared with 744,559 in 1911 and 591,493 in 1904. Asiatics in 1921 numbered 1,250 and the coloured pop. 1,997. Salisbury and Bulawayo, the chief towns, had in 1921 a white pop. of 5,654 and 6,830 respectively. Gwelo (white pop. 1,148) and Umtali (white pop. 1,874) were made municipalities in 1914, and Gatooma was made a municipality in 1917. All these places have most of the amenities of European towns.

In Northern Rhodesia the white in 1911 numbered about 1,500, and in May 1921 3,585, of whom 2,223 were males and 1,326 females. A considerable proportion of the white residents are officials and missionaries and their families. The native pop. in 1920 was estimated at 928,000.

Communication.—Little was done during 1910–21 to extend communication in Rhodesia itself, but from Sakania on the Rhodesian-Belgian Congo frontier the railway was continued through Katanga with the result that the valuable mineral output of that region was carried over the Rhodesian lines. The completion of the line from Zeerust (Transvaal) to Mafeking (Cape province) shortened the distance between Rhodesian stations and Johannesburg by 250 miles and enabled Durban to compete for the Rhodesian trade. On the completion in 1913 of the line through the northern Transvaal to the Limpopo at Messina, proposals were made to bridge the gap left—some 130 m.—between the Union railways and the West Nicholson branch of the Rhodesian system. As the bridging of the gap would place Lourenço Marques as closely in touch with Bulawayo as is Beira (its existing port), there was much opposition from interested parties to the building of the line and construction had not begun in 1921. Among other projects the most important was the so-called Sinoia-Kafue cut-off, to give Salisbury and Beira a much shorter line to Northern Rhodesia and Katanga. The line in 1921 had been built as far as Sinoia only. In south-eastern Rhodesia the branch line from Gwelo had been extended to Victoria.

There was a good deal of road-making, the largest piece of work being the cutting of a road—400 m. long—through the bush from Broken Hill to Lake Tanganyika. This was done for military reasons during the campaign in German East Africa. In 1919 aerodromes were made at Bulawayo and other stations on the Cairo-Cape route.

For the year ended Sept. 30 1919 the report of the Rhodesian Railways Ltd. showed that the gross revenue was £1,058,000; expenditure £568,000 and net earnings £490,000. For the year ended Sept. 30 1910 the corresponding figures were £789,990, £362,000 and £427,000 respectively. The gross revenue of the Beira-Salisbury and Kalomo-Broken Hill sections of the Mashonaland Railway Co. for 1918–9 was £647,000; expenditure £367,000 and net earnings £280,000, compared with £502,000, £184,000 and £317,000 respectively in the year ended Sept. 30 1910.

Agriculture.—At the end of 1919 the area under crops, excluding vegetable gardens and land cultivated by the natives for their own benefit, in Southern Rhodesia was 215,276 ac.,of which 177,470 ac. were under maize. In 1911 the area under crops was 132,105 acres. The production of wheat increased in Mashonaland, the quantity produced in 1919 (13,432 bags) being double the amount of the output five years previously. Tobacco became one of the principal crops, the production of leaf in 1919–20 being about 2,500,000 pounds. Cotton-growing had not got beyond the experimental stage in 1921. The citrus industry made headway and considerable quantities of oranges, etc., are now exported. Over 6,000 boxes were shipped to the United Kingdom in 1920.

The Mazoe dam, which has an effective storage capacity in a normal season, after allowing for evaporation, of 4,000,000,000 gal., was completed in March 1920. This dam enables sufficient water to be stored for the irrigation of 6,000 ac. with 2½ ft. per annum.

Cattle-breeding in the decade 1911–21 became one of the leading industries of Rhodesia. By the importation of pedigree bulls the native breed was steadily improved. In 1919 29,510 head of cattle was exported by rail or on the hoof to the cold-storage works in the Union or to Portuguese East Africa and the Belgian Congo. By the end of 1919 the number of cattle owned by Europeans (673,431) exceeded the number belonging to the natives. In 1910 the total (European and native owned) was 371,000. The Liebig Co. acquired extensive ranching areas.

In Northern Rhodesia maize and tobacco are the principal crops; wheat was grown under irrigation. Experimental work in the cultivation of wheat and other cereals, fodder plants, fruit and forest trees, fibres and in the investigation of plant diseases was carried on at the Chilanga estate of the B. S. A. Company. Orange-growing was started and a small quantity of cotton grown in the Fort Jameson district adjoining Nyasaland. Large areas of wild rubber exist. Cattle ranching became popular, a good market being found in Katanga for slaughter beasts. Except for the settlement at Fort Jameson, the white residents are mostly concentrated along the railway line from the Victoria Falls to Katanga.

Mining.—Gold is now found in a large variety of formations, including quartz, schists, granite, sandstones, banded ironstones, conglomerates and dolorite. The value of the output steadily increased from £2,566,000 in 1910 to £3,895,000 in 1916, when the yield in ounces was 930,356. The effects of the World War, increased working costs and labour difficulties then brought about a decline and the value of the output had fallen in 1919 to £2,499,000. In 1920 the value of the output went up to £3,056,000, though the yield measured by weight (552,497 oz.) was 40,725 oz. less than in 1919, the rise in value being due to the premiums obtained on sales of gold in 1920. The silver output reached its highest level (211,989 oz.) in 1917 and this was also the case with coal (584,954 tons) and copper (3,911 tons). The largest output of chrome iron ore (88,871 tons) was in 1916. After the end of the World War production was considerably reduced. Asbestos is becoming an important industry, the chief mines being in the Bulawayo and Victoria districts. The output rose from 55 tons in 1908 to 18,823 tons in 1920. Valuable mica deposits are being worked in the Sinoia district, the output in 1920 being 97 tons. Small shipments realized up to 6co per ton. Arsenic (1920, 437 tons) and tungsten (1920, 17 tons) are worked. The output and value of the principal minerals of Southern Rhodesia in 1920 were as follows:—Gold 552,497 oz. (£3,056,549); silver 158,982 oz. (£58,178); copper 3,109 tons (£333,111); chrome iron 60,269 tons (£245,378); coal 578,492 tons (£252,000); asbestos 18,823 tons (£459,572). The total value of mineral production in Southern Rhodesia up to the end of 1920 was £56,164,325.

Northern Rhodesia.—The chief mining centres in Northern Rhodesia are Broken Hill (lead and zinc) and Bwana Mkubwa, near the Congo border (copper). The mineral production in 1920 was as follows, the figures for 1916 being given in parentheses for purposes of comparison:—Gold 569 oz. (719 oz.), value £2,998 (£2,980) ; silver 5,583 oz. (8,777 oz), value £706 (£877); copper 145 tons (1,298 tons), value £7,601 (39,362); lead 16,345 tons (1,392 tons), value £335,000 (£25,121). Up to Dec. 31 1913 13,156 tons of zinc ore, valued at £84,577, had been produced. Mining for this ore then ceased. The total value of the mineral production of the northern territory to Dec. 31 1920 was £1,534,000.

Commerce.—Bacon-making, oil-crushing and soap-making, cheese-making and meat-canning, in addition to creameries and tobacco factories and flour-mills, are established. The following table shows the value of the imports and exports of Southern Rhodesia (exclusive of specie and goods reëxported) in 1910, 1915 and 1919.

In Northern Rhodesia the value of imports increased from £168,000 in 1911 to £424,000 in 1919. Exports in 1911 were valued at £107,000 and in 1919 at £452,000.

Revenue.—For the year ended March 31 1911 the revenue of Southern Rhodesia was £773,000 and expenditure £752,000. In 1918–9 the revenue amounted to £961,000 and the expenditure was £858,000. The chief items on the revenue side of the account were: customs duty £298,000; native tax £238,000; posts and telegraphs £100,000; stamps and licences £59,000; income-tax and excess-profits tax £60,000. For the year ending March 31 1920 the revenue was £1,031,000, the expenditure £1,061,000.

The revenue of Northern Rhodesia for the year ended March 31 1912 was £116,000, expenditure being £190,000. In 1919–20 the revenue was £169,000 and expenditure £260,000. Native tax produced (1918–9) £83,000 and customs duty £36,000.

Education.—In Southern Rhodesia in 1919 public expenditure on education was £125,000, the sum of £39,000 being received from fees. At the end of that year there were 77 public schools open, with 4,775 pupils. There are schools of domestic science at Bulawayo and Salisbury. There were 670 native schools, with 38,284 pupils, conducted by missionary bodies, receiving grants in aid.

In Northern Rhodesia in March 1920 European children attending Government schools numbered 222. The Administration established boarding-houses at three centres.

Native Affairs.—No radical change was made in the system of native administration in Southern Rhodesia during 1910–21. The office of Secretary of Native Affairs was filled by the administrator and in each district a commissioner was appointed to direct and protect the natives. The conduct of the white settlers and of the Chartered Co. towards the natives was the subject of strict scrutiny.