RHODESIA

Evening Star, Issue 18141, 4 December 1922, Page 8

RHODESIA

A VIS!! TO VICTORIA FALLS. NEW ZEALANDER’S IMPRESSIONS. A former resident of Dunedin recently mado a trip from tho Transvaal to tho Victoria Palls, on the Zambesi River, which aro -situated about three miles from Livingstone, the capital of Northern Rhodesia. It should be homo in mind that .Salisbury is tho capital of Southern Rhodesia, and that Bulawayo is the commercial capital of tho whole of Rhodesia. The writer, in recounting her impressions of (ho trip, says: “All these South African towns aro .struggling places lying amidst acres and acres of plain; indeed, so flat is tho whole country that in the whole Ihousand-milo journey from Johannesburg to Bulawayo wo passed through not a .single tui/iicf—always veld, veld, illimitable veld. Livingstone, being a political capital, is peopled l largely by Government officials; hut it is also a- great saw-milling place, from which are seat huge supplies of teak.” Tho writer says : “Wo left Bulawayo, in Southern Rhodesia, at 1 p.m., and travelled through very flat country all the way to tho falls. Tho country is prettier than that between the Transvaal and Rhodesia, the first part of the country being through tho vastest maize-growing district in Africa. It seemed- to bo fine catlle country, too, the animals being in excellent condition. They were turned into paddocks of melons, just as in New Zealand sheep aro turned out to turnips, a-mi never have 1 seen melons so largo and so numerous. “Leaving the maize country behind, we camo to tho teak forests, where the felled’ trees looked 1 like fallen soldieis on a battlefield, The wood, though, looks beautiful, with its peculiar reddish-brown color, ami, judging by tho amount lying ready for transport, it must have considerable commercial value. “The hotel hero (Victoria Falls) is delightfully situated on -a hill, and from wtiich the spray from the falls, looking much like the geysers at Rotorua, can bo seen. The coolness—indeed, coldness—of both Southern and Northern Rhodesia is a surprise to ns. During tho middle of the day it is warm, but really not hotter than a summer- day in New Zealand, and immediately the sun sets it gels quite cold. “Wo visited a curio shop here, where I bought a string of ivory beads. They are guaranteed real elephant ivory', caught here and manufactured on the spot. Ivory is becoming so fashionable in Europe that it is rising -in price every day. “ I have lead a day at the falls. Above them the Zambesi is a mile wide —or, to bo correct, s,Boßft—and at that -width it takes a leap over cliffs 400 ft high into a fissure only 300 ft wide enclosed by rocky cliffs. You can imagine the noise it makes. The hotel is a mile and a-quar-tcr from the falls, and the noise here resembles the tt'oaring of the sea on: the noisiest day at St. Clair, while the spray rises like rain, rising instead of falling to a height greater than tho 400 ft djffs. At quite a long distance from the. river one becomes wet with the fine rain-like spray.

“Yeste.’day afternoon we went in Canadian canoes, each paddled by four natives, to Cataract Island, from which wo had a fine view of a solar rainbow. The bow was bent down towards the river, and low down, where the spray was dense, the reds of the rainbow seemed 1 to bo caught and whirled upwards like a huge llamo of crimson. The canoes are the most comfortable things in the way of boats. A padded cushion in the floor, with the padding carried well up the front of the seat to well above it for a back rest, enables one to sit exactly ns if in a motor car.

“ The season here is spring, and it shows itself most queenly. Nearly all (ho trees send forth their young leaves dressed in what in our country would bo autumn tints —yellows of all shades, from pale to old' gold and vivid reds and crimsons. Just in the darkening last evening wo strolled through the bush, and were much struck by the evidences of Nature’s protectiveness. ’The thousands of moths flitting amongst the young leaves were dressed in palest yellow, and looked so delicately beautiful that even a butterfly man would not have had the heart to make one prisoner. “Wo spent two hours after moonriso last night in the hope of seeing a lunar rainbow over the falls, but were disappointed, however. We consider ourselves amply compensated for the long and rather dreary journey hero by the view' w ( e had of the solar one.

“The Falls Hotel is very fine and up to date. The railway lino to the Congo passes through the hotel grounds, and crosses the Zambesi, at the foot of the garden, by means of a bridge 650 ft long and 403 ft above the water, with three huge spans. It is said To bo the h'fj’fTt bridge in the world.

“ We hoped to go by motor boat to-day to Livingstone, but the full number of passengers having booked , wo must postpone it until to-morrow. We shall therefore spend tn-day in. the rain forest and visit, the Palm Kloof, besides talcing canoes to some other of tho islands.

“ Wo visited tllio Khami -ruins yesterday, and found them very interesting. To-day, at 10 a.m., we set off by motor for the M-atoppos, World’s View, and Rhodes’s Tomb. The trip was through _ prettier scenery than wo have yet had in South Africa., bub compared with New Zealand scenery it, is very dull Tho view from the summit is expansive, but not within miles of, say. M'Kirmcm’s Bass. Still, ‘ comparisons are odious ’; so I’ll say no more.

A letter written on the return journey snvs

“To-morrow morning we motor round tho town (Bulawayo) to the various places of interest, and leave by the 5 p.m. train for home, having (had a very pleasant ten days’ trip. “The burning question here is: ‘Will Rhodesia come into the South African, “nion?’ A referendum on tho subject is to bo taken on October 17, and meanwhile nothing else seems to be discussed. Rhodesia is most thoroughly and intensely English, and to keep it so seems ithg only argument the R-.G.s, as they are known hero (Responsible Government Party), have to offer. Certainly it is very me© to (have a hit of England so far away from England; but -sentiment doesn’t pay, and the country is badly in need of money. General Smuts visited here a week or two ago, and held out such tempting bait that the R.G.s fear Rhodesia is going to be caught. Tho Union, if Rhodesia decides to join up, will buy all tho lands and railways from the Chartered Company, and in addition will m-ako-a present of £500,000 a year for ten years. No color bar will ho” introduced, and Rhodesians will be allowed a free hand in dealing with their native au-d other problems. Women in Rhodesia (have tho right to veto, whereas tlm Union Government last session turned down tho Women’s Suffrage Bill; but in (ho event of union being decided on Rhodesian women will retain their right tovote. This must help woman’s franchise in tho ofhor parts of the Union. 'South Africa, is under «3d RonmnDutoh law, by which women suffer many disabilities. For instance, no married ■woman can open a banking account without the written consent of her huiba.nd. To go hack to Union, though, the realroot of flic opposition lies in racialism. Should General Smuts remain in power all would be well, for his breadth of view and outstanding ability are recognised by everyone, but an alliance between Labor and Nationalists ia being attempted in the Union which, if it eventuate, may prove too- strong for tho present Government, and then Hertzog would come into power with his South Africa for the Afrikander policy. [The referendum resulted as follows”: —For responsible Government 8,774 votes; for joining the Union, 5,98a.] “ One- i-s -much struck by the fine type of voung Britisher one meets here, all bearing the stamp of the English public school, ■ami after all it takes some beating. Rhodesia is one of the most loyal parts of the Empire, and, as ono would expect, sent a large proportion of her young men to the war. One young fellow I met away am on the Zambesi told met-ba had threebrertinersj

one of whom served in Egypt, one in France, one in Italy, while ho himself was in the Air Force. “How strong the clan instinct in us still is! Away up the line near the fails an old chap joined the train, and, of course, at once began talking I asked why he objected to Union. ‘Madam,’ said he, ‘we fought for this country and won it, and surely we may be allowed one little bit of all-British territory.’ The following day two men from Natal were discussing the same old subject, and I mentioned what ,tiho old man had said. ‘Yes,’ said one, ‘that’s it—all British. I was bom in South Africa, hut of English parenthood, and my heart has always turned to Rhodesia. _ I know' I shall some day go there to live just to be with the all-British.’ The other young fellow endorsed what he said, and I was left pondering.”