The story of Bateman Engineering - Part 10

							The story of Bateman Engineering - Part 10

Christmas 1931 and Edward Bateman wishes a correspondent a happy Christmas, hoping "that the
New Year will be more prosperous than 1931 .. Certainly it looks as though it has gone about as close
to the bottom as it could get, without going right through."


Always the pioneer – Bateman was one of the first to encourage local manufacture in South Africa. In
1930, at his initiative, Dorr Company Incorporated signed an agreement with East Rand Engineering
Works, for them to manufacture some of Dorr Company's specialities (for whom Bateman was an
agent). The press rightly hailed Bateman's initiative of considerable importance in the development
and diversification of local industry.

In 1931 Bateman began catering for other aspects of industry, supplying products such as the Smith
Tilting Concrete Mixer and the Bates Valve Company's automatic bag-filling machines and patent
valve bags. Yet everywhere the world slump was still to be felt. Brazil continued throwing her coffee
into the sea, while the Argentine Railways locomotives burnt the country's wheat as fuel.

But, with dramatic suddenness, the crisis for South African industry ended in December 1932. At the
initiative of South African lawyer, Tielman Roos, the South African Treasury reversed their policy by
abandoning the Gold Standard –ushering in the greatest Stock Exchange boom South Africa had seen.
Gold rose from 84 to 1240 shillings an ounce, rendering payable millions of ounces of gold ore
hitherto regarded as valueless. Building, manufacturing and other forms of enterprise revived.

A new departure for Bateman was the establishment of service facilities in 1933 or, as advertised "a
Laboratory" which enables them to carry out complete test work on the following metallurgical
operations: Classification: Corduroy Tabling, Cyaniding, Filtration, Flotation, Grinding, Thickening.

Pic - Johannesburg CBD 1931

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