A TOUR IN SOUTH AFRICA

Evening Star, Issue 19328, 14 August 1926, Page 2

A TOUR IN SOUTH AFRICA

TRAMSVAAL AMD OWE FREE STATE

[Written by' I"kkdeiuck Stubbs, E.II.GJA, for the ‘Evening Star.’]

From the beautiful prevince of Natal described in a previous article, I passed into the Transvaal (literally across tbo Yaal), and, as one of tbe principal objects of these articles is to give information that may be useful concerning the various countries I spend my life in visiting, I hope the reader will bear with me whilst I give some description of this wealthy region. The area is 110,450 square miles, somewhat larger than New Zealand and twice as large as England and Wales. The population is, 2,100,000, of whom 550,000 are Europeans. Much of it is from 5,000 to 6,000 ft above sea level; dry, sunny, cold in winter, hot in summer, loss beautiful than some of the other provinces, healthy. At the lower elevations it is wet, foggy, and loss healthy. Fruit and tobacco are grown freely, and herds of cattle. But the natural wealth of the Transvaal lies, of course, chiefly in its marvellous mineral deposits, especially its gold, which I shall describe in my next article.

The Transvaal came to bo occupied by Europeans owing to the dissatisfaction of the Boers (not without justification) with the British Government, of Cape Colony. Hence began the groat trek of 1837, which gave the , impetus, continued many years, until at last it took the trekkers across the Vaal, and led to the foundation or Pretoria. The old-time Boers were often ignorant, obstinate, bigotted men, difficult to manage; hut they were hardy, bravo, enterprising, great hunters, with a passion for liberty, loving solitude and wide spaces. And so they trekked with their os wagons and cattle, year after year, fighting wild men and wild beasts and fire and flood until they secured the conditions that promised freedom and prosperity. With the death in 1853 of Andries Pro-torius, last of the famous leaders of tlie Great Trek, the long migration came to an end, and in 1856 the South African Republic was proclaimed, with M. W. Pretorius, son of tbe old leader, as President. PRETORIA. In 1860 it was decided to build a now capital, and so, a thousand miles from Capo Town, Pretoria, called after the President of the Republic, arose. Pretorius was succeeded some years later by his lieutenant, Paul Kruger, who though an uneducated man, yet by - native ability and force of character, ruled bis people with wisdom and moderation for twenty years, right up to the time of tbe great Boer War. After the war the Transvaal became a British possession, and in 1910, on the union of the four provinces, Pretoria was established as the administrative capital of the Union. It is one of tho most beautiful cities I know, with fine well-paved thoroughfares, splendid buildings, lovely parks, beautiful gardens and suburbs, and excellent climate. It is situated at an altitude of 4,471 ft, and occupies a long narrow valley situated between two low ranges of hills. Tho population is 63,000, of whom more than half are Europeans. Most of the streets are laid out in regular parallelograms, and many of them have been planted with avenues of oak, willow, jacarnnda, and plane trees. Indeed, one of tho streets I drove thronah presented an avenue of color more glorious, I think, than I have ever seen elsewhere. There are a number of fine buildings in Pretoria, including the residence of the Governor-General, hut THE UNION BUILDINGS of the Administration arc probably the most beautiful in tho world. £2,500,000 has been spent npon_ them. They aro situated a mile outside the city, and the site consists of a series of wide terraces, rising higher and higher, and forming a worthy approach to the main buildings. These are of classic stylo, and consist of a groat range of buildings built in cream and red freestone on a base of granite stretching along tho side of the hill, in part like a splendid Italian palaco, with loggias and stately columns and fountains playing; elsewhere in a semi-circular colonnade that forms a wide Greek amphitheatre, the crescent points of which are marked by domed towel’s, each surmounted by a bronze statue of Atlas holding aloft the world. Tho view from these buildings is magnificent, including, n.s it does, the whole city, with its miles of bordered streets, its pretty residences, its public parks, buildings, and squares, and, away to the west, a long range of mountains. Another unforgettable visit I paid was to the Zoological_ Gardens, with their spacious, woll-laid-out grounds, thoir semi-tropical vegetation and line collection of animals--one of tho prettiest zoological gardens I know or, though certainly not equal to that of Sydney. The aviary is said to Ik?, the second largest in the world, that of New York being first KRUGER’S COTTAGE. Kruger’s house also proved qinte interesting. it is really only a goodsized cottage. A largo number of Kruger mementoes are kept there, including the chair on which the old man sat each morning on the steep (verandah) and received all and sundry. Many years ago Queen Victoria sent Kruger a gift of two stone lions; but tho President hated everything Eng- ; lisb, so the lions were purposely j dumped on tho veldt and lost To-day, i however, those same British lions I stand on cither side of the three steps leading to tho steep. There must have been much that was lovable about the old man, for his memory is still held in veneration by the Boers, and a fine monument lias been placed in Prince’s Park. On the Sunday 1 visited both tho Cathedral and the very fine Presbyterian Church. The latter is built in cathedra] style, has an exceptionally fine organ and choir, and the service itself is more ornate than any Presbyterian service I have- seen outside Scotland. I was interested and pleased to learn that the able minister sometimes conducts service in the, Episcopal Cathedral, whim tho Bishop, of Pretoria loads worship of f the Prosbvlcrians, si most sensible and Christian procedure. BLOEMFONTEIN. My visit to Bloemfontein was a very | pleasant one, made additionally so by the kindness of tho mayor and other friends to whom..! had - introductions. I; found it both smaller and less pic-j Xuresque than some of the oilier metro- j politan cities, the site being flat, jn j the midst of a great plain, 750 miles | from Cape Town and 255; from Johannesburg. But .any lack of picturesque-J ness is amply compensated, by its heal!hr j fulness, the city being situated nearly 5,000 ft above sea level, and having a I dry, .sunny, bracing climate—a pleasant city to live in. Tbe streets are wrie and well kept; tho public buildings, though not grandiose, arc handsome; and there is an appearance of antiquity which-is not usually found in; colonial cities. As a matter of fact, Bloemfontein has been in existence for many years, and was the capital when j the Free State was a republic. To-day it is not only the capital, but also the j scat, of the Provincial Council and of j tbo highest Court of Appeal. The ( population is 41,000, of whom one-half is European.

MUNICIPAL ENTERPRISESThe water for the city is drawn from the Modder River, sixteen miles away, where, it may be remembered, the British suffered so severely. _ The horses of the ammunition and artillery having been shot by the Boers, who held, the surrounding kopjes, the British promptly put their hands up and surrendered. I fear that this engagement did not reflect much glory on our arms, and the Boers proudly remember and recount their victory to this day. More pleasing to the English visitor aro the municipal houses, of which there are 450, erected at a cost of £600,000, and let at a rental of £5 to £6 a mouth. Much of the land on the outskirts of the town belongs to the municipality, which lends money to private persons for the purpose of building homes for themselves. Seven miles distant aro what aro known as the Shannon allotments, of about twelve acres apiece, which are leased for small farming, dairying, etc. There is also a location for poor whites, and another for the natives —mostly Basutos and Baralongs—of whom there are about 20,000.

MUNICIPAL LAUNDRY,

Another interesting institution that I inspected was the municipal laundry, the only public laundry in the city. It employs thirty-five poor white women, who aro paid a wage of £1 7s 6d upwards, and thus able; to support themselves instead of being a burden on charity. I was told that the work was done quite satisfactorily, and that contracts were held with public institutions and hotels. I also visited the sewage farm, where the sewage of the city, after treatment, is deposited, and where fine crops of lucerne arc raised and herds of cattle fattened, my guide humorously explaining that it had been found more profitable to allow the crops to walk off the farm than to be baled and carted off. The municipality has even gone into the milk business competitively. . • Other public enterprises, institutions, and buildings that I visited were the plantations, where X ,000,000 trees have been planted by the municipality, which it is computed will, at the end of thirty years, be worth from one to three pounds apiece; the zoo, entrance to which is free, where I noticed n number of Australian dingoes and kangaroos;, where also a baud plays on Sundays and holidays; the park, containing a handsome granite monument to the Canadian soldiers who died in the Boer War; the Grey College, with its beautiful white building and red roofs called after Sir George Grey, a Governor and benefactor of both South Africa and New’ Zealand; the cemetery, where I ,saw 2,000 graves of British soldiers . who died in the military hospitals during tho Boer War; the Polytechnic School and Hostel—fine buildings, where boys, mostly Dutch, learn useful trades; tho two mental hospitals, of which one is reserved for colored people, of whom there are about 200 patients;..the residency (now a school), where tresident Steyn resided; the Radsaal, tho old Dutch Par 1 iameut-houss-r-a fine occlcsiastical-looking building, _ now used in appeal cases; the Municipal Swimming Bath, claiming te be tho largest in tho British Empire; and hardly less important, tho destructor, where the refuse of the city is_ consumed, preventing the accumulation of unsightly rubbish heaps in streets and backyards. THE WOMEN’S MONUMENT.

One morning I drove out to soo the National Women’s Monument, a stone obelisk, 140 ft high, on which is the following inscription To our heroic women and beloved, children. Thy will be done. This national monument is erected in memory of the 26,370 women and children who died in the concentration camps, and the other women and children who perished elf where --as a result of the war (1899-1902). Unveiled December 16, 1913. I will never leave thee nor, forsake .thee. For freedom, folk, and fatherland. Jn front of the monument, are the graves of President Stoyn and General Do Wet; . „. ... No one could fail to sympathise with the terrible suffering occasioned by the Boor War, but I believe, from .inquiries made, that, it would be unjust to suppose that the women and children were treated with inhumanity. Such treatment would ho quite contrary to all we know of the British .soldier. Epidemics not unnaturally arose in the camps, and largo numbers died, but the British did their best m the circumstanccs, Spejiking of _tbc Var, 1 also drove out to Natal Hill, where the British naval guns were placed. The Naval Brigade threatening that if it did not surrender, it would blow tho city to pieces, the Boers wisely surrendered. I also saw, a few miles away, Tempo, where the British troops camped. To-day, 1 was glad to learn, there is no feeling of hostility between Dutch and English in Bloemfontein, and even political. enemies are frequently personal friends.

THIS FREE STATE,

Tlio Orange Free State, of which Bloemfontein is the capital, is nearly as large as England, with a population of about 1,000,000, 200,000 of whom are Europeans. It is situated on. a high plateau covered with native glasses ami karoo; has light rainfall; is ary, healthy, bracing.; a good country for cattle and dairying, and for the growing of maize, Ivalfir corn, and loots. Brit it is liable to both droughts ami floods; to hailstones, irost, and the depreciations of locusts. 1 passed through a hail, etorm v.hm.i did almost an inconceivable amount of damage, covering the land wi h hailstones in some places to a depth of 4ft or sft, destroying fowls, ami causing some buildings to collapse under the weight of ice, while on another occasion I saw an army of locusts that T calculated could not be• less than twenty miles wide. They vrero trekand would travel until they were Fred and their leaders halted on some farm What would happen them may ks imagined—every green thing for miles round would disappear, leaving desolation behind.