NATIVES IN AFRICA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20362, 17 September 1929, Page 9

NATIVES IN AFRICA.

COMMUNIST MOVEMENT.

GENERAL SMUTS' WARNING.

BILL TO BE INTRODUCED.

[WIOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.! • CAPETOWN. Aug. 0. A grave warning regarding Communist activities among the natives of South Africa has been sounded by General Smuts in the House of Assembly.

In almost every part of the Union, General Smuts said, there was grave discontent and agitation going on among the natives. There wero people who made use of the situation by sotting white against black, and creating a state of affairs which in the end might have very far-reaching consequences. So far attention had been concentrated on the Indus trial Commercial Union (coloured) movement.

From the beginning this movement appeared to be a very dangerous movement, said General Smuts, and more recently a change 4 came over it owing to the intervention of a European organiser, Mr. Ballinger, who was appointed. Judging by his statements and his work, so far as it had come under the speaker's notice, he seemed to be determined to make a decent trade union movement of this organisation, but he had now severed his connection with it and started a movement of his own. The popular idea was that the Industrial Commercial Union movement was a very dangerous one, but so far as he could judge something much more dangerous had come to this country, probably fomented by foreign capital and by agencies from abroaicl, " Communist Movement."

"We see," General Smuts went on, "indications that a real Communist movement is arising among the natives, and it may not be long before the whites in this country may be face to face with a most dangerous situation. Ido not know that we can object to a trade union movement, so long as it keeps within the terms of the law. But that is not what is taking place. We see a Communist movement arising, the object of which is to inflame relations between black and white, and I hope the Government will watch this matter very carefully. I have some information which has come to me, but I dare say that the Minister of Justice and the police have a great deal more information which shows that there is a movement working underground which may afterwards mean Bolshevism and a state of affairs which will ultimately be very difficult to control.

"In face of that movement, which comes from Europe, we have not a law to deal with the situation, and I express the hope that the Minister will watch these new developments very closely, and that the law will be so tightened up as to place us in a position to maintain law and order. It would be the worst day possible for this country, both for'black and white, if wo do not maintain law and order." Obedience to the Law.

The natives of this country, General Smuts added, ought to know that they were going to get justice and fair play from the white people, but they also to know that they on their side were expected to give obedience to the law, and that any movement of a subversive nature would be severely dealt with by the public authorities. He hoped that the Government would see that matters were not allowed to drift until perhaps a spirit had come into existence among the natives which would be difficult to deal with.

General Hertzog, Prime Minister, said he was pleased that the Leader of the Opposition had raised the matter. He felt that it was the wish of everyone that the undesirable state of affairs referred to should be checked. The law as it stood apparently left an opening. It was, however, practically impossible by means of legislation to cope with the position, and it was felt by many that the subject raised was one essentially to be dealt with by the Governor-General-in-Council.

The Prime Minister said he had discussed the question with the Minister of Native Affairs, and they had agreed that a bill should be introduced under which a great deal would be left to be dealt with by the discretion of the Governor-General. It was true, said General Hertzog, that most serious tendencies were making themselves felt among natives, and he hoped that by means of the legislation it was proposed to introduce those tendencies would bo checked.