COLOUR PROBLEM

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 13, 29 December 1931, Page 9

COLOUR PROBLEM

POSITION IN SOUTH AFRICA REMARKABLE FACTS Sydney, Dec. 17. Striking facts regarding the black races in Africa were revealed in Syd noy by Mr John Roos, magistrate and Commissioner for Native Affairs in the historic city of Mafeking. Mr Roos has been inquiring into the condition and control of the blacks in Australia, and returns to his home land, amazed, and frankly envious, that Australia’s racial position is so predominantly white. Mr Roos controls the destinies of 60,000 blacks in the vast territory under his control, and he is the only white man who sits in council with the six black chieftains of the Kaffirs and Zulus. He knows the strength of the blacks in South Africa, and he says they already outnumber the white population four to one. They are becoming masters of agriculture, and as they, too, are rapidly realising their power they are becoming a serious problem for South Africa. It is even within the bounds of possibility that before long they will overwhelm the whole area, and perhaps take charge of it. The races are growing rapidly, and in their recently acquired knowledge of farming, particularly in respect to cattle and sheep, they are becoming serious rivals to the cattle and sheep industries of Australia.

According to Mr Roos the blacks arc gradually mastering tho droughts, and the only danger to themselves is that they are inclined to overstock. The black’s one mistake is that ho makes fetish of quantity instead of quality. Tho more heifers ho gets on his ranch, the greater the sparkle in his eye. So far the wisdom of good quality bulls has not occurred *o him. Among the Zulus the daughters are regarded as agents to family influence. If a man seeks the hand of a native woman, he succeeds only on the condition that he hands to the parents of the bride from ten to twelve heifers.

The blacks are multiplying so fast—almost as fast as their cattle—that Mr Roos says he does not know what is going t happen to South Africa. It is dear that ho is not at all impressed by the outlook.