TRAGIC FIGURE.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 288, 5 December 1929, Page 11

TRAGIC FIGURE.

GENERAL SMUTS' POSITION. SOUTH AFRICAN POLITICS. BIG REVENUE FROM DIAMONDS. General Smuts, the noted South African statesman and Imperialist, who was an outstanding figure of the British War Cabinet, cuts a very tragic figure in politics in his own country to-day, according to Mr. A. M. Williams, assistant news editor of the "Rand Daily Mail" and "Sunday Times," Johannesburg, who is visiting Auckland. Mr. Williams, who received his journalistic training in New Zealand, returns to the Dominion to renew old acquaintances after an absence of five years. "The political position in the Union to-day seems to be more settled than it has been since 1924, when the Smuts Government was overthrown," stated Mr. Williams this morning. "The Dutch Government, under General Hertzog, is fairly popular, except when it gets on to racial subjects, and then there is an immediate clash between the races. At the last election in June, the British party, or rather the Smuts party, lost many rural seats because of gigantic misrepresentation on the part of the Nationalists concerning the future political status of the natives. "Good Political Bluff." "It was a good political bluff, admitted by its perpetrators, but it succeeded in firmly entrenching the Nationalists in power for another five years. The Labour party is still in partnership witn General Hertzog, although the latter has a clear majority over all parties. Popular reductions in taxation have been made during the past two years, due to the enormous wealth accruing to the State from the new alluvial diamond diggings in Namaqualand, from which territory £6,000,000 worth of diamonds Avere recovered in five or six weeks. The gold mines on the Rand are still complaining bitterly about excessive taxation, and a disturbing feature is the fact that one or two mines have been recently compelled to close down, because the ore is no longer payable at the current working costs, in which the Government taxation is a big factor. Generally speaking, South Africa is, perhaps, the most prosperous of the Dominions at the moment, although agriculturally she is still the most backward. It is significant, however, that South African wool has been quite recently topping the market, and, in the Eastern provinces of the Cape, determined efforts are being made to improve the quality of the flocks. "In politics in South Africa," added Mr. Williams, "General Smuts cuts a very tragic figure. There is scarcely a more unpopular man that the general, except among his own followers. His opponents are not like ordinary political opponents. Hatred is the only way or.c | can describe the feelings shown by poli-; tical enemies to Smuts. Ever since the revolt on the Rand in 1922, when Smuts had to resort to military measures to quell the disturbance, his grip on the country has been lost. Although he is regarded outside or South Africa as one of the world's greatest statesmen, in Johannesburg he can hardly hold a public meeting without the risk of being howled down." Dispute with Rhodesia.

Discussing general conditions, Mr. Williams explained that industrialists and pastoralists in South Africa and Rhodesia were gravely concerned over the recent breakdown in the Customs convention between the two countries. Held in Pretoria recently, this convention was to have revised certain portions of the tariff agreement, particularly as it related to tobacco. Failure to see eye to eye led to a very abrupt conclusion of deliberations, and the position at the moment was that the two countries, bordering one another, had no trading arrangement whatever, and a Customs house for the first time for many years had been opened on the border. Public opinion in both countries was divided as to whether the union or Ehodesia was to blame for the deadlock, which was going to cost the producers thousands of pounds. A resumption of negotiations was expected early in the New Year, and a straightening-out of a position, which was little short of farcical, considering the geographical aspect of the question, was expected.