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Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2293, 5 January 1900, Page 4

The year 1899 will be notable in the history of the Empire, as seeing the commencement, and some progress, in the inevitable but long deferred struggle of the Boer Republics for supremacy in South Africa. This is what President Kruger and his confrere of the Orange Free State have been really aiming at, and it is to prevent such a consummation, which would be most serious and even dangerous to the ascendency of Great Britain, that Her Majesty's Ministers, supported by both parties in the House of Commons and by people universally, with a few insignificant exceptions, have considered it necessary to take such decisive steps, that the Boer Governments have been forced to throw off the mask and show their cards. Lord Salisbury and Mr Chamberlain, with consummate skill, exhausted all the resources of diplomacy in order to obtain an amicable settlement of the questions ostensibly in dispute, and thus put themselves in the right; but at the same time they gave President Kruger to understand that they would not concede an atom of the principle of the suzerainty, upon which the recognition of the independence of the Transvaal under the conventions of Pretoria and London really rested. The wily old Kruger, whose policy has been indefinite procrastination, finding that the English Goverment were' in earnest and would proceed, if need be, to extremities, Jeeiued the time at last to be opportune himself in his true the enormous military to strike a longconBritain

to» declaration of war, and followed this up immediately by the invasion of Natal, thus taking the initiative and commencing the war which must eventuate in the ruin of the two Republics. It would appear that he reckoned on two things which have not come about nor are at all likely to do so. Entirely misunderstanding political conditions in the United Kingdom, he thought the Opposition party and their influential chiefs would go dead ; against the Government, and possibly, J with the assistance of the peace at any gp price fanatics, and the Irish Nationalists, M' bring about their defeat when it came necessary to apply to Parliadifii for a war-vote. However, as migfefbe expected, all political differences wefre sunk when a great national question has to be considered, and not only t«t Honrte country'but the dependencies 01% the Empire throughout the world, rose tO . the occasion and backed up the Ministers in their enlightened and far- "M seeing policy. Krugkr, beyond ques- 'f tion, rested his hopes on the inter- 1 ference of the Foreign Powers, also ' demonstratively jealous of Great Britain, perhaps reasonably might have been expected to seize the opportunity of at least causing embarrassment. These Powers have very wisely abstained from taking any such action, in the face of the enormous naval preparation made and matured, which they realised they were unable to meet, and which would have brought hostilities in a very effective form close to their own doors. The Transvaal war is by no means to be considered a little one. The whole future of South Africa is at stake and England is bound to fight to the death to maintain possession of the Cape, the loss of which would lie a deadly blow to her supremacy by land and sea. As things are, the political extermination of the Boers and the crushing once and for all of the ambitions of the Afrikanders and seditious Dutch, is only a matter of a short time. Great Britain has put her hand to the plough and most assuredly will not turn back.

As in the old world and as regards the Empire, one great event has, during the year just terminated, absorbed public interest. So in New Zealand the general election has practically dwarfed other subjects, in themselves important and momentous. Considering the lengthy education of the people in politics of the New Zealand school, it was certainly astonishing that Mr Seddon should have, so to speak, swept the board, and been confirmed in power by so substantial a majority. It is only to be hoped that, as he is strong, he will be merciful and disappoint those who anticipate a reign of terror and corruption. The Right Honorable gentleman has good judgment and sound common sense and has a great opportunity of using both in the interests of the community at large, and making for himself a grand record in the history of Australasia. Coming nearer home it remains for us to say that general prosperity has been visible all round. The products of the soil in our own outlying districts have been been as plenteous as in former years. The farmer and the pastoralist have had no reason to complain of prices. As regards the mining industry in Otago during the last year it has made a big bid for first place as one of our most resourceful products. The immense stores of wealth that have been taken from the Molyneux and Kawarau rivers in the vicinities of Cromwell, Clyde, and Alexandra during the last 12 months is phenomenal, and quite rivals the Dunstan rush of the early days. This is undoubtedly owing to the improved machinery for goldsaving, and we have no hesitation in saying that greater things will be revealed in the near future. The dredging industry has not taken any practical form so far as our own immediate district is concerned, except that the dredges are still working away on the Shotover, getting payable returns. The first new dredge will probably be put on the Dart River, at the Head of the Lake, which will no doubt prove a payable concern. Many other ventures will also be started during the year that has just begun, and we trust that ere its close this district will see the dawning of greater prosperity in the future.