THOSE THIRTY MILLIONS.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 804, 20 January 1903, Page 2

THOSE THIRTY MILLIONS.

There is not usually elation at Hie payment of millions., and the great haste shown by the Hand magnates to agree to the payment of thirty millions for.a war tax can be better understood when if 'is remembered that the first sum spoken of was one hundred millions. There was a vehement outcry against the larger sum, and report has it that in agreeing to the smaller sum Mr Chamberlain lias indirectly given bis sanction to the importation of Chinese labor. At any rare, it is clear that an understanding was arrived at in regard 1o the sum to he paid, and for Mr Chamberlain it must be said that a denial has been made of his having given ais approval to the importation of cheap colored labor. Probably the itand capitalists consider that when they have settled as to the payment to be made by way of war tax they .are free to act as they please in other respects, and seemingly, though it was made so difficult for Britishers to get passes through the lines, there lias not been much scruple about facilitating the transport of the cheap laborers. The capitalists succeeded ring Great Britain into the in __ —a now. their kind

Venezuela affair, auu . ' are showing pretty plainly winu intentions have been all along in rei gard to the Rand. When the question of a war tax was being discussed, Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, President " r the Johannesburg Chamber of Mines, held t!ht r - U would be as unjust to make the cost of the-war too small as too large, as it would in years to come provoke a feeling of bitterness that the honorable discharge of Imperial duty at great cost of life and means bad fallen untairly

upon the people of the British Isles, and brought profit to others. Another speaker made a strong point of the fact that if too heavy a charge was made it would fall heavily upon the Britishers, and to that- extent the Boers would escape. Of course, no mention was then made of importing Chinese laborers to replace British wotkers. The Times thus summarised Sir Percy Fitzpatrick's argument : " That no money payment towards the cost of the war that can possibly be contemplated would ever bring to 1 his country (Great Britain) such advantages as .would accrue from making the Transvaal contribute as much as possible to the development or its own resources by judiciously-contriv-ed public works.” And a very fair argument, too, always remembering that no mention was made of the development of resources by the importation of thousands of Chinamen to take the place of Britishers, for that is what it all now comes to. There is evidently going to be some trouble in this matter, and the trend of events for the next few mouths will he watched with great interest.