SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 11876, 25 April 1904, Page 8

SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.

(I-Mm OUR OWN COB_KSVO!->XNT.) -11^ JOHANNESBURG, March 8. V'# CHINESE LABOUR. !■%§*,; ' At tlie time pf writing tho Royal assent '~.; : >* ' has not been given to the Labour Ordin- } ance, aud for this final act to let the minea 'fgfe have Chinese labour the Rand, is waiting it-ifl with increasing impatience. The organs the mining industiy are wrathful in extreme at tlie suggested amendments in,V;||J| tlie regulations which are being made i-> the House of Commons and elsewehere, and which are tending to keep the Bill";3|?Jp; from going forward for His Majesty*! signature. The fear is openly expretseds that the tottering Balfour Government -t-yligK.' be defeated any day, and with the advent Jsp, >• of a new Ministry the Importation Ordm-;Jj|fe' anew would be doomed. In this case a,p||t? revolution is predicted. Such dire bodings are only so much jourualistio fjfe fireworks. Tlie sober-minded in the com- f§|p munity accept the situation that we are to.\|l§| have Chinese, and are satisfied that aty?§f§| soon as the King is convinced by his sponsible advisers that proper safeguards ''-i-M are provided to regulate the labour, his '-v|& sanction will be finally given. Meantime, yg however, the rhare market shows no im« ■'■$& prov—nent; the reverse is the case. QihV edged stocks can be bought to-day cheaper than any time since they were recognised iS;i| as gilt-edged. Tlie depression has deepened. ■-'..'feSi; Many people, who a year ago were flourishing, have come to the end of their.V'M resources. People are filtering away • "Jif from Johannesburg; some with the in- - tention of returning when times are better,, ''■£<£.. others with no such idea. i?£ THE INTERCOLONIAL COUNCIL. vf Stagnation in trade has necessarily cniv ■ §? tailed the earnings of tlie railway and : ;if • other Government services, and the High ; ifl* Commissioner has had to announce serious deficit iR the public finances. The?s% Inter-Colonial Council is now in to devise means for adjusting The extravagant way in which the ways have been administered has a fruitful topic of complaint from those "JOZ: who do business with the department. $t|It is recognised %* the railways mttst|fff ■ for some time to come be a means ol"M*£. taxation; while this is so, the hand«omeiS?S\ profits that should accrue are bemg%?S squandered by wasteful control. ThoumViSS this was brought out a year ago at th_^% ? i Inter-Colonial Council,- no reforms instituted. What steps will now be,' ; %?g taken to bring about a better order offe<fl| . things it boots not to say. But it is very, ;MM clear that we are still,to have the linef ?|M administered by Army methods, has been the cause of the .chief outcry. '.VfM Sir Percy Qirouard is to be retained. _Kts|ff| control has been assailed by every ber of the Council, including the tenant-Governor, who has discussed the 3fS| management, but no adequate .defence' ;S has been offered, and no one has been' bold |M enough to suggest a change in the ruhng : ;|§| ht ~ d - ■ ■ ,-m A ST. LOUIS r-XHEBITION PROJECTv In connection with the St. Louis Exhibi- d§f tfon, a company, with Ffllia of circus; yjfM fame at its head, has been formed here, J ; ;| under the title of the "Spectacular Extravaganxa Syndicate," the idea being to invader-Is? the Exhibition town ,wi_h .a, body of ex-M» . soldiers, both Britons and Boers, to play -:a|| at mimic warfare before the crowds are expected to flock to St. Lonk. those who go to the Exhibition will greatly interested in witnessing a few hi»-|||§§ dred men attempting to depict ' fighting on the veldt is open to Mo# people predict that the show -wiJl||||j be a dismal fiasco; and from the character.Mffel of the recruits who are being picked up oa ? Jlt|| the Rand for the pantomime it can hardly4fp*, be .otherwise. ■The —rodicate. is : afi&£ME&jr' fining economy in paying the players, the remuneration offered is £4 per month to date, from the time of the flrit per- iHV forinance,. and one-half of the 2» 6d per* ■-mM-::' day is to be held, as security for the iuV- jfjfß.; filment of the contract. The. soldiers, too, -_9M$ are expected to find themselves out oft!fjf__i the munificent pay". Plainly,' they wJKS&aHI have to loot to live, which' some- wiUgjjjißl say is only playing the game It is fair to say that those who take'on||||jH J the job are" hemg deluded with th*ii^^B-1 eyes open.' It is eloquent of tlw ' of the times that men are commg forwlr_tlj|« "for service with the syndicate. vision is made for the return passage, - it looks'-as if we will be -upply_ig v States with a few adUhH,ional ettuwt-/ /; . THE' SOTJTH : ij ■ The 'Army - establishment in South :| is being steadily i«duced.w When :| was restored it wan given out thai '-I | wquld be the' garrison to be, % these colonies. The latest Home |;: I provide for only a liTtk over half % number of all arm*. There is '£« for even so large a force,: sod ;on J & score of economy,- the' cost of ni__>iennni*jp|l % per head being quite $; he in England, prudeiioe dictates the : p ing of the South African £| small as possible, : %. to the forces are now being ni|o|gi | p A few .weeks back enquirie* j ,p the New. Zealand Id fodder. '.Three thousand ions' 'WitWsßEm ''■■ monthly would have*been a ; *- order for the colony ,&. sure freight for'the-"direct' : '- : -afraid,' however, the ordjerwitt : .■ where, lor-the enquiry {~ reply to approach: merohants over, so much damaged Mo4tj| ?: from New this side are getting chary pt defha^;*BJsi]w__' soundness on i ' Ldeutenant-General Sir Dm it is understood; mander-in-Chief in Soath :Africa,cession to Sir Neville *bo gone Home to take his < Advisory Board. :'<: son ia at present in o^'!l^u^^: j^^m^ .' In-view, of the forthcommg son.-' • meetinc of Ns—-..- ge«-aadere|%ff|gHß;f' to d_KOM'. _be advisßbJlity of' "v' Club. .' It was resolved to a*k the t New Zealand Club to enlarge to include - being that a junior as 'jrelf a» * ■!;. shoold he entered for the c If the suggestion be arted nptm toria team, which did » w«U last s«M<»i||M could he considerably. the Rand, qoota of pJa-ers'to the jmiior tet»; headquarters would : fae m Johia— The idea will, no doubV bs wried* ii^H ': ■A ' proporel, *eriotttly eonridered " nominee City CotmcJl -"of the abolition of the:«-**« :«-**« streets. The storm of .this''from caused the/to^/j_____pf : : ; position to he abandoned in favour plementing the present names by nvtdußßmwaF' after the Amerkon faahicm.. Thus .have rectintly been confronted - corners by such des-mation* as. i street, Second North street, TOr4||H_fyL Avenue, and so on. placed over tb* f*___B_%lt:' titles. .: The ' additional : """BBIb tlt " would only make confusion' : ~worfft«lHmH& founded, are not to remain. •as cil at its but meeting resolved'-i®ll____@H|? the resolution of' the former cfßoe, and the streets are to'retain adornment the original names. : A -NEW" 'A' message fro_ Horrisrahh stated that a Mr Smyths had ed there. It being known that ■'»"'j^j^_—B-l Zealander of that., name- .bad' started %fP|||Bp ing in the Harrismith district, were instrtsted, which kav* no it wtn Mr George Smythe, came to Sooth Africa from; lost his life- Mr Smythe was a of the First Contingent; *Herw*xdr was Sergeant-Major in the finished : the. campaign as a v officer in the Ninth. It appears, hs attempting to cross & flooded sprnxt, __19HH| was earned away. His, ;hody. M advices, had not been..wcovered.'..':;«>mHH

x. friend". I understand, reof deceaseds »«<-■>"-» trieinHawkesßay. PERSONAL lThM>. ?*^r*£___^«it' 01 **«„-kn,,wn writer of bard ?££&,-*. Mr Manning is at pre0 f »***-•" *_thur May and Co-. **, ~ _S"nt; but contemplates business on his own «, . "S, Nit. Osbeme. after her passage fmm Car*'-™ *° -ith Lduced to accept «« *-W men * in th - Me*rs W- »nd F. Wh-.-ekr ..> J»£ London Gaiety Company n."^*>>>Jb; l>i.lbrJs with the Louden Gaiety is M Madge Boon. , tcm . Miss Kitt.v Cannon h» t^y nn ,.i e> - porary entrant «Jh thDramatic *-!, Johp appearing ». Hs £»J 'Campion *> well As soon as -Mw G-rg enoazh '-*' n'-**'**' tne / ' „|,,>,,.„.. |i , ( ~,„ «„ •» _.-_rr » r*rr^«*?^^*«"-**•* ■ tt-r has O'.-en v-» -, * • f e w wrek« in tin* Ermeio district. Air J W Grimes (Waitotarai. inspector .nder the Land Department at Erinelo. is "n* of the latest additions to the r» 1 of Juices of the Peace for the fransyaal. >lr Harold Batger. the erstwhile New Zealand hordk athlete, is for the present acting assistant a.-wyer in the Bank of Africa. Johannesburg. Availing himself of tho recently passed Ordinance providing for the qualification of oversea surveyor*, Mr A. G. Muir (Christchurch) sat and passed the examma- ■ t»n with flying colours. The day after he finished hi* last examination he had to g 3 to hospital in Pretoria, being attacked by fever, from which he has now almost recovered. Miss Griffiths, from Wanganui. is a nnrse in the Potchefstroom hospital; and a most popular one with all the inmates. Mr Fritz Hawlden recently passed at Pretoria his second solicitors' examination, and when he finishes his articles, which will be in about a year, will be qualified t» practice. •Mr W. B. Scott leaves Johannesburg to take up his residence in Bloemfontein this **ek; Miss Ada Crossley created quite a furore bn the Rand. Her three concerts in the Rink at the, Wanderers, much the largest hall in Johannesburg, attracted crowded audiences. Her first concert at Pretoria marked the opening of the new theatrethere, the- finest in South Africa. Albani preceded Miss Crossley by a few days, but her concerts were not largely attended, people reserving themselves for the founger and fresher singer.