SOUTH AFRICAN POLITICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 115, 16 May 1924, Page 5

SOUTH AFRICAN POLITICS.

SMUTS' CAMPAIGN. ATTACK OH NATIONALISTS. CAPETOWN, May 15. In an election speech at Johannesburg, General Smuts (Prime Minister) severely criticised the NationalistLabour pact. He denounced the proposal of Mr. T. Roos (Nationalist leader in the Transvaal) for a State bank, which, he said, would lead to the evils of inflation. General Smuts referred to the Rand. He said he was afraid that if the parties to the pact came into office there would be strikes and other situations which they had to face in South Africa before. The mine owners in the Rand had given a promise to which he would hold them. This was that if the low-grade mines were given a chance there would be such further development, that everj man displaced would ho employed again That promise could only foe carried out under settled conditions and security If, as General (leader of th< Nationalists) had said t there was to b< further taxation of the mines, then would be no further development. H( said that if the leader of the Laboui party (Colonel Crcsswell) had stood firm," he might have killed the seccseior movement. If the undertaking includec a pact that secession would not bt pressed on the people of the countrj until the English people were also ir favour of it, he (General Smuts) woulc have nothing further to say about seces sion.— (Keuter.) i