TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 9988, 18 March 1898, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

The Transvaal has at last England plainly shown its hand, and and the its deoision to renounce the Transvaal. British suzerainty whenever

it thinks a suitable opportunity has arrived, is ominous of war. Sooner or later, evidently, Great Britain must be prepared either to submit quietly to a slap in the face, which would seriously datoiage her prestige, or to enforce her claim to be regarded as the suzerain Power. There can hardly be any doubt as to which course of action would be pursued, and, therefore, though action might be deferred until the particular difficulty occurring elsewhere had been settled, another war with the Boers is one of the probabilities of the not very remote future, unless in the meantime the Transvaal Government thinks better of ifc. Wβ have referred on previous occasions to the agreement between Great Britain and the South African Republic, but it may be well, in view of the news. in to-days cable messages, to give its main provisions. The Pretoria Convention, which was the result of the shamefully disastrous war of 1881, gave the Boers all the powers of self-government, except in so far as their foreign policy was concerned, Great Britain reserved to herself the right to control this. The principal clause of the agreement set forth that among British rights were the right to appoint from time to time a-British Resident, in the Transvaal, " the right to move troops through the said State in time of war, and the control of the external relations of the said State, including the conclusion of treaties and the conduct of diplomatic intercourse with foreign Powers, such intercourse to be carried on through her Majesty's diplomatic and consular officers abroad." During the next three years some of the provisions o* thia Convention were found by the Boers to be irksome and in 1884 another one was drawn up and signed. In this, though the provisions which had been objected to were to a large extent relaxed, England still retained her suzerain power. "The Sonth African Republic will conclude ho treaty or engagement with any State or nation other than the Orange Free State, nor with any native tribe to the eastward or westward of the Republic, until the same has been approved by her Majesty the Queen." Thus ran the fourth clause, and the thirteenth stipulated that British goods entering the Transvaal were not to be subjected to higher duties than those levied on goods from other countries; in other words, there was to be no favouring of another country's trade at the expense of England's. If Great Britain waived her right to order the foreign policy of the Transvaal the last •vestige of her power over that State would disappear and Kxuger would be tree to enter into an alliance with Germany, which is no doubt exactly what he wants to do. But it would hardly suit England to have a powerful German colony established in the middle of her South African possessions, and hence she will, no doubt, uphold her suzerainty.

Neither in England The nor Australia does the Selection method which has lately of prevailed of selecting Cricket Teams, representative cricket

teams meet with anything like unanimous approval. A cable message in another column shows that it is quite possible that the next team to visit Australia will be chosen by the Marylebone Club, the dismal failure which has attended the team of "stars" selected by Stoddart being no doubt the chief cause of the agitation for a change. The M.C.C. has such a strong position in the cricket world and governs English cricket so well that one would have the fullest confidence that any team selected and sent out by it would be as good as could be obtained. On the other hand, there is plenty of evidence that the Australian Cricket Council haa not the confidence of a large number of the

cricketer*, and that it will not be withont considerable opposition that it assumes control of ths,next Australian team to visit England. Some leading cricketers lately met near Sydney to make arrangements for the tour o£ the next Australian team in England, and threw down the gauntlet to the Cricket Council by deciding that Major Wardill should be asked to act as manager. Ou the last two occasions .the Council has appointed the manager and the selectors, and the absurd complications which ensued over the selection of the last team will still be remembered by our readers. Several members of the team were so disgusted with the shilly-shallying oi the Council over the business that were in Englaud they asked leading English authorities as to how a team cqining Home without the sanction of the Council would fare. " They were told," says the Argus, "tint Englishmen knew nothing aa to the management of Australian cricket, and providing the visiting team was strong in the field and composed of good fellows, it would always be sure of a welcome." , The matter came up at a meeting of the Victorian Cricket Apsoeiation a few nights ago, when it wa* moved that the Cricket Council should be asked to take the necessary preliminary steps for sending an Australian Eleven to England next yea* and if necessary for financing the tour. The motion was warmly opposed, and the Cricket Council became the subject of some plain talking, in the course of which it was declared that it was neither recognised nor respected by cricketers, that it had been in I existence for seven years, and hadj done nothing, and that this time it would be defied. The friends of the Council pointed out that it would take all the risks, but not a farthing of the profits, and merely wanted the team to go Home as the Cricket Council team. "It cannot go Home without the approval of the Council," said one. "It will, though," said Harry Trott. " Then it will not contain several of the most prominent cricketjers of Australia," was the reply, to which Trott retorted, " All right, you'll find that you're making a mistake." The resolution to approach the Council was carried eventually, but the opposition was strong enough to warrant the belief that there will be more trouble when the Council begins its work.