Page 42 - Bulletin 8 2004

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deserving that position at present. Indeed, we are disposed to say that, given its climate,
which we admit to be exceptionally fine, its actual condition reflects no credit on its
residents and patrons. There is a let-down buffer-muffer look about the place, which is
distressing to the orderly-minded, and can have little relish for health-seekers.
Appliances for amusement, or mental resource of any kind, are not to be thought of.
There is neither library nor news-room, nor meeting place of any sort; boating is made
impossible by prohibitive charges; not to speak of bathing-machines, there is not even a
bathing-pool in which a “header” could be safely tried; the village is traversed at will by
pigs and cows and horses; there is no proper custody of the water; the mountain-slope is
used promiscuously as a grave-yard; the drainage is unspeakably primitive. Yet it needs
no engineer’s eye to see that the place might be made to wear a very different aspect.
There are bends and hollows and plateaus along the mountain side, which might be
turned to easy account for picturesqueness or use; a mountain-walk with a few shady
resting-places, half-a –dozen tasty villas, and a proper water-distribution would redeem
the place from its present neglected and cheerless appearance. To commend the place as
a permanent residence a great deal more than this would be needed; and if the railway
belonged to a private company, they would be impelled to keep this in view. As it is, the
Government will have to look for its main profits to excursionists - for the ordinary
traffic of Kalk Bay with Simon’s Town added would go a small way towards covering
expenditure. There is no reason, however, why Government should not do something to
encourage residence, for excursion trains are a precarious source of revenue; and when
the novelty of the thing has worn off, Kalk Bay will take its place as one of many
competitors for public favour. Whether its charms will prove sufficiently powerful to
divert the stream of pleasure-seekers from other resorts, is a point about which there
may be two opinions; but a settled permanent traffic would not interfere with this. And
if the climate of Kalk Bay is all its admirers say the railway removes one at least of the
difficulties of residence, provided a reasonable tariff be observed. But the place must be
brought into habitable condition, and the socialism of years, under which four-footed
things of all kinds have learnt to ignore private rights, must be curtailed. Will the
Government see to this, or interest themselves in plans for promoting building and
settlement? If not, we fancy the railway will disappoint its projectors,- may, indeed,
prove an expensive failure. Our supposed company would strain every nerve to increase
the permanent traffic, and the mercantile instinct would soon discover the means of
doing so. Such instincts are not found in the governmental composition, and the art of
pushing a business is denied to them. The Government at any rate are interested in
advancing the place, and if they can hit on some indirect means of compassing this, so
much the better for the railway returns. As stewards of the public interest, they can
hardly fail to recognise this as the logical sequel of the undertaking.

When construction of the Kalk Bay Extension got underway there was an influx of large
numbers of railwaymen who could have caused a variety of social problems. However,

a letter by James Baker to The Cape Times describes the contribution of the railwaymen