IN THE ORANGE RIVER COLONY.

Dunstan Times, 28 December 1900, Page 3

IN THE ORANGE RIVER COLONY.

An old contribute!' writes from South Africa to the ‘Weekly Telegraph’: The Avar, with all its attendant horrors, has proved a veritable gold mine to the Free Staters, who, now that we arc in full occupation of their country, are literally making fortunes out of us. In and around Bloemfontein and Kroonstad the following extraordinary state of things exists:—At all the farms the women are in possession, making -butter, baking bread, and selling it to our troops at exorbitant prices, while the fanners themselves are away with their commandos trying to shoot their wives’ best customers. In the towns the Dutch storekeepers have sold right out of everything at double prices, and now they are sitting on their stoeps all day, smoking contentedly, but anxiously awaiting fresh consignments from Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. Here are a few of the prices we have been paying for their goods at Kroonstad ; Butter, 3s per lb; bread, Is 3d per small loaf; milk, Is per pint; condensed milk, Is 6d per tin; safety matches, Is per dozen boxes; clay pipes, 3d to 6d each; sugar. Is per lb; foolscap, Is 6d per quire; Quaker oats, Is per lb; Jam, Is 6d per tin,; cocoa (prepared), 3s per tin. And so on. How -would these prices suit you at Home, eh? It was said of the tailors in Bloemfontein that they had booked so many orders that they had lost all control of their work, and were absolutely in a state of chaos. The results arising from all this muddle were often comical in the extreme; as officers’ servants came in, wrangled amongst each other over the garments, and then retired, carrying off with them whatever they could get. But whether the .garments went to the rightful owner or not, the tailors insisted upon getting their pay in every case. Dutch farmers and storekeepers are making twice as much money now as ever they did before. Nice state of affairs, isn’t it?