THE TRANSVAAL OUTLOOK.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11321, 4 September 1899, Page 2

THE TRANSVAAL OUTLOOK.

Our latest cables indicate no farther advancement towards a peaceful solution of the South Afrioau crisis, which; seems to be as acute, as ever; in fact the ontlook grows gloomier, and war is certainly very near at hand. Meanwhile, the delay in a satisfactory settlement of the difficulty is paralysing and crippling business, wh'ioh muetf remain at a standstill until the definite intentions of the Pretoria Government 'are deolared. President Kruger'a great aim is to see that the old burghers are not swamped. He represents the " old school," who will concede little, and cm whose behalf Olive Sohreiner has sent up a very plaintive appeal.

which would be more effective had she left; sentiment alone and grappled, with the real issues at stake. She says to Pan J Krnger, "Great old man, first bat .not last of South Africa's great line of rulers, yon have shown us yon could fight for freedom; show us yon can win peace/ If he -would only act upon this advice the monument which is piotured to perpetuate his fame would represent the Hitlanders as well as the Dutch, but in any case his present regime must break down under the progressive spirit of modern times. The solving of J;he problem lies to a great extent in the hands of the younger burghers, whose contact with the newcomers has made theni appreciate the hardships which encompass those who - by their taxes enable the Government to carry on its oppressive system of administration. Being, far more conciliatory they might force the President's hands. General Jonberfc, vicepresident of this Volkaraad, represents the more progressive element of the Boer population, and if the questions were left to his judgment, there is a probability that where Krnger failed he might succeed. Joubert says there will be no war | Schreiner agrees with him; while Ceoil Rhodes thinks that it is really too ridioulous of the President of the Transvaal to talk of hostilities. When three leading lights like these in the affairs of South Africa express this opinion, the outlook loses much of the gloom whioh surrounds it. They recognise that the prosperity of the whole of South Africa is at stake in the attitude . which Kruger assumes, and are striving towards a peaceful settlement which will afford equality in representation to the inhabitants of the Bepublio. A small coterie of the "peaoe-at-any-price" party, whose combined, declamations' carry infinitesimal weight .with the British Cabinet, has laid the cause of all the trouble at the doors of the ■' evergreedy capitalist class," but they .have up to the present at any rate hopelessly failed to prove their case. "It is manifestly impossible," said Mr Balf our in a recent speech, "that in the face of the world, in the eyes of the native population, and of our Dutch fellow-Bubjeota, we should permanently submit free-born Englishmen to being treated as if they were an inferior race. That is a polioy which, whether this Government be in office or not, those responsible for the destinies of the country cannot permanently acquiesce in," which is a statesmanlike view of the situation. In the two Conventions of 1891 and 1884, between the Transvaal and Great Britain, are these words: "Her Majesty's Commissioners. . . . do hereby undertake and guarantee) on behalf of Her Majesty that. . . . complete self-government, subject to the suzerainty of Her Majesty, her heirs, and successors, will be aooorded to the inhabitants of the Transvaal territory." The. abuse of that stipulation has culminated in the present crisis. We wonder if the capitalists were behind a great meeting of 6000 Uitlanders held at Johannesburg on the evening of July 26th, which asked for the five years' franchise without " barbed wire impediments." This meeting included merchants, lawyers, doctors, and olergymen, who surely could not have been all bribed by the capitalists to raiae their united voices in appealing to the British Government that "In view of the grudging and illiberal spirit shown by the Government and the Volksraad in the treatment of the question , of franchise, reform, and the facility with whioh even fundamental laws are ohanged, this meeting is convinced that no settlement will be of any value unless its permanency is guaranteed by an understanding between the larperial Government and the Government of the Eepublio."

The concession in regard to the franchise is not the only relief which is required to make the races in the Transvaal live in peace and harmony in the future. The whole system of Boer administration is a recrudescence of almost barbarism. It is absolutely rotten. The judiciary, Constitution; language, Civil Service, muioipalities, policy and juries are all questions whioh will have to be brought up to nineteenth century civilisation if this South ( African trouble is not to reour every few years and bring Britain on to the verge of war every time with what Mr Chamberlain aptly terms a "subordinate State/ 1

At present Judges are Bubjeot to legis-

lative interference, as witness the dis-

missal of ex-Chief Justice Kotzej the

Volkaraad effects changes to the Conßtitu-

tion whenever it pleases without consult ing the people ; the exclusive use of the Dutoh language in the Courts of' law entails üßelesa expense and ' inconyenienpp to euitorsj no . one bufc a bflfgbeV jf

' eligible for a poat in the Civil Service for which there is no examination and burghership is the only qualification ; the ' municipal -system give 3 the Uitlander no, chauoe against the present burgher representatives; the police ia chosen from, persons entirely unfit for the force,' and every moinber is appointed by the Government; while the jnr'y eyatem is on a par with all the other branches, of a corrupt administration. Then the tyranny o£ the public meetings, . . aliens expulsion, and Preas laws might be added to the list, to oay nothing of the "existence on an eminence commanding Johannesburg of a fort which can be armed and garrisoned in the course of a single eight from Pretoria ia a constant ' source of irritation and menace to the town. It is of little use for the defence - of Johannesburg, its sole object apparently being to terrorise the inhabitants. y ' No permanent cordiality between the two antagonistic elements of, the community : can be looked for until the entire demo- ... lition of the fort has been accomplished." - If all the. foregoing grievances have fceeu evolved by the capitalists it will be most remarkable. The case for the Hitlander population in a colony suzerain to Britain is overwhelming, and anyone who . . argues to the contrary scarcely grasps the grave nature of .the circumstances which have, brought Britain now for a fourth : time ; on the verge of. a serious conflict • witH a stubborn and bigcted people. God forbid that the war-drums should beat, but the Boers -have'the remedy in their own hands.

" The reading matter on onr fourth page to-day comprises cablegrams, several . letters to. the editor, a list of Hawke's Bay winners at the Wellington Kennel Clnb's show, 'onr special correspondent's f Wellington Gossip," some verses by Mr H, H, Murdoch concerning wetas, and Cricket, golf, football, and sporting news. ' The Mokoia, whioh arrived at the Blnff from Hobart yesterday, brought over an English mail. Mr W-. H. Carter' writes ub from Porangahau that the total rainfall at that place daring August was 3°sßin. The committee are making complete arrangements for, the Rugby Union ball, which takes place on the 13th inst. Two._commissioned and seven non- . commissioned officers of the Imperial 'Forces have been engaged to proceed to New Zealand at an early date. The commissioned officers are a captain and a ' . " lientenant, the non-commissioned are all sergeants and oolor-sergeants. The exact cause of the mishap on the Papanni after leaving Capetown on the voyage ont was the breaking of a valve ' spindle. As duplicate parts were not kept on board the injury had to be patched up. The two valve spindles are being replaced dnring the vessel's stay at Wellington. Onr Hastings correspondent writes: — The Hastings volunteers, are going into camp at the back of Heretaunga School about the middle of the month. There will be a ohurch parade on the 17th. — Another candidate for municipal honors lias come forward in Hastings in the person of Mr George. The . Kumara Times states that Mr Northerof t, proprietor and editor of the West Coast Times, has issued a writ olaiming w£3ooo . damages for alleged libel against him by Mr John Bevan, District Grand Master of the English Freemasons, in respect of statements contained in a ■ circular issued to Masonic lodges. At the Cathedral yesterday the ladies took their Beats in the choir stalls for the first time, and the change was certainly pleasing. The voices rose in perfeot time and harmony, which was not possible under the old arrangement when the trebles were so widely separated from each other. The bright and ecclesiastical costumes worn were well in keeping with the rest oLthe choir. Mr Sharp is to be congratulated upon having a full and effective ohoir, whioh is now more completely under his control, and the congregation may look forward to the more perfeot rendering of the choral portions of the services in the future. There were very large congregations at the Baptist Church yesterday, when the • Bey. G. D.. Cox preached his farewell sermons. ' In the morning he took as his text the incident of Paul leaving Ephesus (Acts xx., 38), and he reviewed the work of his ministry in Napier. The evening discourse was preached on the laßt verse in Revelations — " The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." He spoke with great earnestness, and ovi- " dently with, much feeling. Mr Cox ia parting with his old church and congregation with the warmest friendship felt for him and hiß family. He will be much missed, not only by his own people, but in a wide cirole outside. His final farewell will be taken at a social gathering at the ohuroh on "Wednesday evening. The Judicial Committee of the Privy """ Counoil .decided recently a curious case from St.- Vincent, West Indies. A West Indian newspaper called the Federalist published an article in March, 1897, severely criticising the conduct of Mr St. Aubyn; acting-Chief Justice of St. Vincent. A Mr M'Leod, a barrister, who was agent and correspondent in' St. Vincent for the journal, received his copieß as usual and lent one to the public library, the library copy having been delayed. Mr St. " Aubyn thereupon committed Mr , M'Leod to prison for 14 days, holding that he had "published" the article and had been guilty of contempt of Court. Court. The Judicial Committee now decided that Mr St. Aubyn ought not to have committed Mr M'Leod , to prison. The order was rescinded and Mr St. Aubyn ordered to pay the costs of the appeal. The results of Inspector Hill's examination of the Marist Brothers' School are '" to hand, and the remarks therein expressed, and the percentage attained, show tha very satisfactory way in which this school work has been carried on ■ daring the scholastic year. Thp follow- • ing extraots are taken from the report: — The. progress of this school since the date of examination last year ia commendable, and of good average. Standards ITT. and IV. have done very well, and the pass work with few exceptions is of good "" quality. Geography and composition in standard IV. are the only subjects which were slightly below the requirements. ' The oral answering of standards V. and VI. was of an unusually intelligent .;■ character, and the behavior of the lads and the class arrangements pleased me very much. Now that the school is well organised and the foundation work good, " bfltter results may be expected in ■ • the higher classes under Ilrotlier Brendan's careful and efficient training. One standard was rather weak, which reduced the average to 84 per cent. i Hooper's Colosaophone Vaudeville Company will open a short season in Napier '. at the Theatre Royal on Thursday next. "A unique instrument, and a host iv itself" is said to be the colossophone, which at a private exhibition in Wellingi ton a few days ago gave pr ictical demonstration of its wonderful power to produce loudly, clearly, and with an entire absence of metallic ring or 'vibration all kinds of vocal and instrumental music without in any way losing the sympathetic tone and modulations of the instrument or singer. In addition to the colos- ' aophone Mr Hooper brings a speoiallyaeleoted Vaudeville company of stars from Sydney and Melbourne, foremost among ' the artists are Mr Sid Doody and Miss Edie JVieght, whose stage partnership as stage artiafcj with Mr Harry Riekarda has - won for them fame and appreciation. Frequenters of the Bijou Theatre in Melbourne will reoii.ll with pleasure Miss Belle Solomon, whose melodious coon songs, coupled with buck and wing dancing, always assures her a hearty reception with her audiences. The programme also includes Mr ' Harry Lauds, a character . ■ artist, Miss Daisy Trevitt (pianiste), and the well-known comedian Mr Harry Hooper. The Taupo correspondent of the Auckland Herald writes as follows of the re- I cent volcanic disturbances iv that district-.—" Soon after daylight on Tuesday morning Ruapehu was noticed in active eruption, sending up an immense volume of eruptive matter, which subsequently spread out umbrella-shape, after rising some thousands of feet. The scene of operations is apparently at the crater lake, situated about the centre of the mountain. The volume continued during the day, but contained principally steam and smoke. Nganruhoe commenced steaming actively soon after, increasing in volume and whiteness, and going a great distance skywards, forming a peculiar contrast to the massiveness of the output of its neighbor. The impressiveness of the display was enhanced about half-past 8, when Te Mare aho started up with a quantity of-, dark matter, which formed clouds in front of, and gradually obsoured, the other mountains, bat the white column from Ngauruhoe was discernible until nearly midday. Ruapehu is very erratic in its eruptiveneßS. It made a grand display on March 11, 1895, which was photographed by Mr Joßiah Martin, and smaller displays about Bix years previous, and another about three .— -, years ago."-

Our Waipawa correspondent writing on Saturday, says :— An inquest was held at the Court-bouse to-day by Mr S. Johnson, coroner, in view of the body of .Tamos Wilke3. The paragraph in Saturday's issue really contains the main points. On Thursday afternoon, between 2 and 3.30 p.m. Wilkes was at tho police office, conversing with Sergeant Smart ; at 3 p.m. he waa in one of tho stores j at 6.30 he was seen riding homo, his horse walking ; Cvo minutes later a witness saw and spoko to him, and on all these occasions he was said to be sober. Still later, at a point where he left the main road to ciosa Abbotsford run to go to his own place, his saddle bags were found, and on the banks of a crepk which crosses the run his body was found. He was only just all 70, and the person who found him hastened to give information to the police. He had been informed by three of Mr Eathbone's ploughmen that they saw Wilkes that evening, and he was suffering from the effects of liquor. Dr. Ross described the finding of deceased by himself and the police, and the state he was in. The pulse was not discernible nntil stimulants had been used, and j his clothes were soaked through by the rain, and there were indications that he had wandered about before lying down where he was found : froth was oozing from the month, and when he was moved a quantity of black fluid came from him. In reply to the jury he said the amonnt of exposure must have been severe, but he was so used to exposure that had he been in his usual state of health he did not think the amount of exposure would have killed him ; he was too far gone to say if he had been drinking. Dry clothes and blankets were procured, and deceased was conveyed to the Exchange Hotel, Waipawa, where he died about 7 p.m. the same day. The jury were asked by the coroner if they wished for a post mortem to be held, bnt they deoided that it was not necessary. The verdict was to the effect that deceased was found on the Abbotsford run "in a dying condition; that he had no marks of violence on hiq body, and he died on the same night by the visitation of God and in a natural way." The funeral will take place on Snnday. Our Wellington correspondent writes : —The recent lamentable Rakaia accident, by which valuable life was lost and much iniory inflioted on persons and property, is costing a nice cheque for compensation, which the colony can only blame its timeworn, unconcerned self for. It has been conclusively proved that had the trains th:it day in collision been fitted with modern brakes the disaster might have been averted, and there would have been no further reproach to hurl at the devoted heads' of the antique railway administration. This unhappy Rakaia business will probably exercise a wholesome effect, sinoe loss of life has occurred. It is a peculiar thing that in this colony we always wait for ocular demonstration of a weakness before we attempt to reform it, and we may see the introduction of the effective and world-widely used Westinghouse continuous brake. Had this been adopted as soon as its merits became known in the colony it might have paid for itself already out of compensation, but the stagnate, matter-of-faot legislation inooulated railway and other heads of departments could not see any virtue in modern brakes; the ones in use answered the purpose; they had not examined any others, and therefore they could not be any good. This may be somewhat exaggerated, but it certainly reflects the prevailing indifference to anything but political progress. So far as Our railways go this neglect is particularly noticeable, and not only in the matter of brakes, but in actual rolling stock and railroad appointments we are shockingly behind the times. It is not to be expected that any wholesale alterations can be made at onco, but innovations might slowly be introduced, and when the department finds itself in more affluent circumstance there would be ample opportunity to launoh out. We sadly require something to arouse a spirit of enterprise amongst us. This continual subjection to and domination of party politics import a parochial aspect to all our affairs, and naturally crab and warp onr individuality. All shrewd observers notice this failing in us as a ; community, and Budyard Kipling espeoially has condemned our petty attention to the small affairs concerning ourselves ' to the. exclusion of the wider interests as i affecting the world. It is true enough, ; unfortunately, and our insular position , assists us wonderfully, but it is the crush- , ing effect of politics run riot which has had more to do with our character than forty insular positions, Could we but simplify our legislation and oast off the : incubus of one-man Government we < might get right along with the front , rank, but as it is we must rest content to . vegetate and endure the odium of antiquity.