THE TRANSVAAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11056, 6 May 1899, Page 5

THE TRANSVAAL.

UITLANDERS' PETITION TO THE QUEEN. By Telegraph.— Association.—Copyright. London, Mav 4. I'OURTeen meetings have been held in Britain in support of the Transvaal uitlanders' petition to the Queen, i'.venty-one thousand people have signed the petition.

The petition is as follows :- 1. JTour loyal subjects on these fields are such arms as may bo necessary to protect leir hvea and property, and such obstacle are place 1 in their way as to render the obtaining of the necessary official permit almost impossible; consequently (he uitlander population of this State is to all intents and purposes an unarmed community. 2. On the other hand, the whole of the burgher section of the community, irrespective of age, is permitted to possess and carry arms without lot or hindrance, and are,,in fact, on application, supplied with them by the Government free of charge. 3. The police force of this State is exclusively recruited from the burgher element, many of the police being youths fresh from tho rural _ district, without experience or tact, and in many instances without general education or a knowledge of the English language, therefore, as a whole, is entirely out of sympathy with the British section of the community, which forms tho majority of tho population. 4. Tho foot police of Johannesburg, in whose appointment and control we have no voice, is not a military force; yet its members only carry batons, but are also armed with six-chambered military revolvers, invariably carried loaded. 5. Under these circumstances, given an unarmed community policed by a body of inexperienced rustics carrying weapons of precision and utterly out of sympathy with the community they are supposed to protect, it is not surprising that the power placed in tho hands of this polico force should be constantly abused. 6. For years past your subjects have in consequence had constantly to complain of innumerable acts of petty tyranny at the hands of the police. 7. During the last few months, however, this antagonistic attitude of the police has assumed a much more serious and aggressive aspect. Without warrant they have invaded private houses and taken the occupants into custody on frivolous and unfounded charges never proceeded with, violently arrested British subjects in the public streets on unintelligible charges, and generally display towards your Majesty's subjects a temper which undoubtedly tends to endanger the peace of the community. 8. The lamentable tragedy which has been the immediate cause of this our humble petition cannot, therefore, be regarded as incidental, but symptomatic. _ 9. This caso is that of the shooting of Tom Jackson Edgar, a British subject, by Police Constable Barend Stephanus Jones, a member of the Johannesburg Constabulary. 10. From the accompanying affidavits, already published and sworn by eye-witnesses of tho tragedy, it would appear that the deceased while in the occupation of his own house, was shot dead by Police Constable Barend Stepbanus Jones as the latter was in the aot of unlawfully breaking into the house of deceased without warrant.