TRANSVAAL CONCESSIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11540, 27 November 1900, Page 6

TRANSVAAL CONCESSIONS.

THE NETHERLANDS RAILWAY. THE MANAGING DIRECTOR AND THE BOERS. / COMPROMISING LETTERS AND EVIDENCE. The London Times of October 17, m comnfenting on the opening proceedings of the Transvaal Concessions Commission, says: — Mr. Van Kretschmar, the managing director of the Netherlands railway, was examined, notwithstanding an excited protest by his counsel, and any undue reticence which l.e might have been tempted to practice was fortunately rendered difficult by the military authorities. They had seized, among other things, the witness' diary and the correspondence between himself and the Commissioner of the Netherlands railway in Holland, where the company has its headquarters. These interesting documents showed very clearly that the Netherlands railway had taken an active part in aiding the Boers by blowing up important bridges and destroying the line. It kept a special staff for the purpose, known as the " Destruction Commando," which, as we found to our cost during the advance of our troops, was the most troublesome obstacle to our operations and the most effective protector of the Boer rear. It would naturally have been the cue of Mr. Kretschmar to represent himself and the railway as obliged by the Boer Government to do whatever was asked of them, and to protest their own earnest desire to maintain strict neutrality. It is hero that the capture of the correspondence comes in usefully. Writing confidentially to his directors in Holland in April last, he admitted the hopelessness of the position, saying that in the event —which he evidently thought more than probable—of England winning, the railway company had compromised itself by deed and word and writing. It had made guns and ammunition for the Boers, had blown up bridges on English territory, had paid its staff when away fighting against our army, and had assisted the Orange State with persons and materials. Ho added dolefully that there are letters, telegrams, and witnesses to prove all this. Then he went on to admit with great frankness that no attempt had been made to avoid' performing these acts, " the fact being that wo have done them only too willingly. Wo believed that England would eventually not be too severe for fear of annoying the Continental shareholders." This last touch is extremely interesting as showing how expensive is a reputation for mildness and generosity when we have to deal with persons incapable of either. • There is an amusing bit of by-play between Mr. Kretschmar and his board. He was evidently nettled by some reproach, for he wrote to these gentlemen that they were evidently sorely touched by Boer reverses, inasmuch as they had become anxious about their neutrality, after having previously been clamorous for news of " deeds of heroism" done by their employees. It was not without asperity that he added " neutrality is now impossible; wo are in the boat, and wo must gain the bank as best we can." It is plain from the diary and correspondence that the Hollander gang who ran the railway were foremost in urging the Boers to fight and in pressing upon the Executive plans for the more effective prosecution of the campaign. But their activity did not stop there. They greatly assisted the Boer Government iii other ways. Mr. Kretschmar had to admit the payment of £1000 towards the expenses of Mr. Hargrove's so-called conciliation tour in Cape Colony Mr. Hargrove being merely an emissary charged to incite our colonists to revolt. Then a pro-Boer journalist, who has posed in this country as an independent authority 011 South African affairs, is found to have been paid a substantial annual salary by the Netherlands railway, which also made him advances on special occasions. Another journalist who carried on the Standard and DigJ ers ' News, was favoured with a loan for £6000 at the company's head office in Amsterdam. In these and other similar ways this railway played a great part in the war, and in the campaign of slander and mendacity carried on with so much activity in this country and abroad. Nor is this wonderful when we consider that the Netherlands railway had practically acquired control of the finances of the Transvaal, discharging either alone or in conjunction with the National Bank the functions which in all other countries belong to one of the most important of Government departments. It cannot be too clearly understood that the Transvaal was not jrovernecl and administered by Boers for Boers, but by a gang of foreign adventurers for their own profit. They found in Mr. Kruger a ready accomplice, whom they kept in power by all the arts of corruption, and who in turn deliberately used his power to sacrifice, in their and his joint interest, alike the Boers whom he professed to love, and the Uitlnnders I torn he unquestionably hated. It is in this circumstance, too often allowed to drop out of sight, that wo must seek the explanation of the large expenditure of money in getting up a general howl of execration against this country. Dr. Lords and his friends did not care either for the Boers or for Kruger, except in so far as tho ignorance of the first and tho cupidity of the second enabled them to make fortunes out of the misgovernmcnt of the Transvaal. They were fighting purely and simply for their own pockets, and they fought with the desperation of adventurers driven to their last shifts. Tho Netherlands Railway Company, as its managing director is astute enough to perceive, has forfeited its property by engaging in acts of war acaiiTst Grea<t Britain on its own account. The railway is now taken over by this country, and will form one of tho most valuablo of our acquisitions. Under honest management it will not only pay a considerable revenue, but will become the means of enormously developing the resources of the new provinces. What degree of consideration it may be proper to show to shareholders, some of whom may conceivably bo bona-fide investors, is a matter which will, no doubt, receivc the attention of Sir Alfred Milner, whoso visit to Pretoria may be taken to herald his assumption of the important duties of Governor of the two new colonies. It would, however, bo intolerable to countenance tho wholesale corruption which attended the construction of the lino by dealing with it upon the basis of the scandalously inflated capital account. It will bo for tho new Governor to grapple not only with that question, but also with the wholo relations of the railway system of the annexed territories to that of the other South African oolonies. Ho will remain ' High Commissioner, but will no longer exercise authority in Capo Colony, whose Governor will, of . course, be in direct relations with the Exeoutivo at Home, but we may assume that he will find in his successor at Capetown one animated by similar aspirations and prepared to discuss mutual relations m. m fecial apii&