THE Grey River Argus PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, APRIL 17, 1899.

Grey River Argus, Volume LVII, Issue 10260, 17 April 1899, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, APRIL 17, 1899.

A few weeks ago we were informed by cable that the finances of the Transvaal were in a parlous state. Even. President Kruger admitted this and he proposes to engage a European expert ;to unravel them. In 1885 the expenditure was only L 162,455,. five years later it had risen to L 1,509,730,, 509, 730, and in 1896 — the latest figures available—it was L 3,182,366. As out of 60,000 adult; male population only 22,000 are voters, this represents an | expenditure of more than LI 25 per ' vote. Almost the whole of this large sum is contributed by the Uitlanders, who have no voice whatever in the Government of the country as the taxation of the Boers has not been increased. The latest device to square accounts is peculiarly- characteristic of the Boers and their traditions. It is disolos&d in ati advertisement in the

Rand papers calling for tenders for the'bewaarplaatsen " which we are told ire expected to bringin several millions 3terling. It is explained that "bewaarplaatsen" is the plural of "bewaarplats," which in English means reserved area. En the early days of the Rand, mills were erected on the slopes immediately south of the mines, and at no distance therefrom. The era .of deep levels had not set in despite the voices of one or two now forgotten, who did say in the wilderness in 1890 that t deep levels were as good as outcrop. So it was that the mills were placed off the then true mining area on to - what was ignorantly viewed as worthless veldt. But to secure title to the persons who wanted ground to build mills and works on and dump tailings upon, the Mining Commissioners allowed companies to peg off sites , and hold them for these purposes. The public pegger of ground was thus warned off from pegging the same after it was declared a bewaarplaats, or reserved area. Many companies preferred to peg out ground not under the bewaarplaats clause, but as mining claims. At the time the gold commissioners said it was all the same and that the ownership was practically absolute. However several companies . distrusted the Government and took the ground up in claims as well, and they, in spite of the efforts to dislodge them are in possession to-day of what now is proved !' to be as valuable mineral ground as the outcrop. 4. certain number of companies however, only hold the limited title, and the Pretoria Government say "You can use the surface, but we will authorise third parties to undermine you." Years back the companies claimed that as they alone proved the value of the bewaarplaatsen by working the outcrop they aloneshoulcl be allowed to retain the mm erals in their reserved area, by paying the ordinary Government dues thereon. The saw the equity of this j but the enemies of the industry said in effect if not in so many words "No, it is a grand chance for plunder. Don't give way, and we will see what we can make out of it for you and us," And soit became acase of the Chamber of Mines pulling and struggling against ■ the Pretoria parasites for years. The Rand took a hand, and then it became a question, "Should it be the First or the Second Rand, to handle the plun- I der?" and things got horribly mixed owing to the bigness of the price and the varied and numerous vultures. Everything is possible in Pretoria to brains and money, i. c., to smart bribery and furtive resourcefulness. The history of many things called Legislative and Government Acts remain to be written. It will be one of these days, and South Africans will wonder why they stood this State depletion and parasite battening so long 1