SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 May 1906, Page 1

SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.

VIEWS OF MR MASSINGHAM. "A COII, OF DIFFICULTIES. - ' An interesting interview with Mr 11. W. Massingham in regard to Smith African affairs is published in the current number of the Review of Reviews. Mr Masshigham recently visited South Africa, and investigated the conditions obtaining in the Transvaal and Orange River Colony. He met men of all parlies and went over the compounds, and he seems to have, left South Africa thoroughly dissat-

isfiod with the position of affairs. "1 am afraid," said Mr Massingham "I am rather liopolcss about the whole tiling. Tiie attempt to govern i lie country by a financial syndicate has involved us in such a coil of difficulties that it is hard to see the way out of it. Indeed, I am not by any means sure whether the Boers would he wisely advised if they were to undertake, in response to an appeal from us, the government of the country." "To what do you attribute this?" ''.Not to wickedness or malevolence, or to anything excepting the blindness of money making, and the want of political capacity. How can you govern a country if you don't know anything about the people living in ii ? Neither can you know anything about the country when you don't; live in it, and you leave the wholo of your business to be managed by vour clerks. With the exception of Sir George Farrar. how many of the Randlords are to be found on the Hand? They live in London, and leave their business to be managed by men who have not even a pretence to be statesmen or even politicians. The result; is, knowing nothing about the country, with their whole L'aze concentrated upon the Stock Market, they make the most stupid Tdunilers, even in their own interests. The reduction of the Kaffirs' wages at a lime when the natives were flushed with money in one instance, and the introduction of the Chinese, is another." 'Thov admit the first, but not the second '!" "They are endeavoring to brazen it out," said Mr i\lassiugham, "bv trying to believe very hard; but tho introduction of the Chinese was one of tho worst blunders they have made. They imagined tho Chinese were iusl like (he Kaffirs, and that they could engage and manipulate them as if they were so many pieces of machinery ; but they had not got them very long before they found that they had made a mistake in the nature of tho human beings whom they proposed to use as beasts of burden. John Chinaman is no fool. Very many Chinamen had no idea, as Lord Selborno has admitted, what kind of work they were to bo put to do. When they found out what it was they did not like it. Promises mado by them have been broken ; (he conditions of the first ordinance under which they were engaged have been revised and altered without asking their consent. They don't get their minimum wage, and tho result is that they are in a very ugly mood, ft may not technically be slavery, the conditions in which they find themselves, for it is nominally based upon contract; but it; is a contract obtained by false pretences, the conditions of which have not been complied with, and tho Chinaman, feeling that he has been cheated, often refuses to do any more work than he pleases. So ho lias been ifogged, lined or imprisoned. There is no dispute about the main facts in Johannesburg. They are frankly admitted by oflicials as well as by everybody else. No one denies that the Chinese compounds are minature Cities of the Plain. No one denies that the Chinese have been Hogged, and that they have been subjected to tho usual barbarous punishments of their own country. No one denies that they are practically forbidden access to any Court, being handed over to be tried by officials who need know nothing of tho law, and have had no experience as magistrates. Neither is it possible to deny that tho bands of predatory Chinese wdio have broken looso and are acting as bushrangers have struck terror into the wholo population." "Then you would expatriate tho Chineso at once?"

"That, I am afraid, is not practic

al," ho said. "I would leave the whole question to the responsible Government of tho country." "Which means, I supopse, tho elective assembly?" "Yes." "How do you think tho Boers would go?' "Solid against the Chinese." "But I am assured exactly tho contrary by representatives of the Chamber of Mines." "Very likely. But what do they know about the opinion of tho Boers? Eyeu Mr Lionel Phillips, who is intelligent enough, does riot know General Botha by sight. Tho last men in tho world who can tell' you about the Boers are tho inino owners of the Rand." "What about the basis of representation?" "The Boers are quito content to accept a representation based upon population." ''But the other side tell me that this would be rather better for the British than for, the .Boers." ■ "If so,'' said Mr Massingham, "the controversy is p,t an end} bepausa the

Boers are committed to representation according to population, and if the other side are willing to concede this, the thing is ended. Some people here seem mightily afraid of the Boers talcing over the government of the country; but, so far as I can judge, and I ! saw all their leaders, they are by no . means eager to take over such a mess J as Lord Milner left behind him. Of I Lord Milner's administration, his . personnel, and tho peoplo whom ho ' trusted, it is almost impossible to | speak. He has ruined the Orange Ri- | ver Colony by simply doubling the ' cost of its administration." I "And what about compensation?" \ ''The Boers are very reasonable, and , some money they really must have. [ think it would not be a difficult; task ! to arrange a settlement, with them. I As for the National Scouts," said Mr I Massingham, "they are at tho present j moment the hottest anti-British peo- | pie in the whole country. And as for Ihe English settlers who have, been planted out on the land, they are j more Boer than tho Boers." i