TRANSVAAL AFFAIRS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1424, 15 June 1899, Page 50

TRANSVAAL AFFAIRS.

LONDON, Thursday. The "Times” states that at the conference just ended President Kruger was not disposed to meet Sir Alfred Milner upon any of the important points. CAPETOWN, Thursday. It has transpired that Sir Alfred Milner regarded Mr P. Kruger’s franchise proposals at the Conference as insufficient. Mr Kruger will, however, submit his own and Sir Alfred Milner’s proposal to the Volksraad if Great Britain will accept arbitration on the differences. The discussion between Sir Alfred Milner and Mr Kruger was of a very friendly character. LONDON. Thursday. In the House of Lords, Lord Selborne, Under-Secretary for the Colonies, declared that the Conference was abortive, and that there was no probability of its being resumed. The Eight Hon A. J. Balfour, First Lord of the Treasury, speaking at the National Union Conservative Association’s dinner, said he was not despondent of a settlement of the Transvaal difficulty. The opinion of the Anglo-Saxon people in Dutch South Africa demanded that the outlanders should be accorded citizenship. Great Britain asked only for her rights in the matter, and nothing more than justice was demanded. He believed the good sense and wisdom of the political leaders in the Transvaal would lead to citizenship being granted, and he was sure that policy would preserve the independence of the Republic. A sharp fall has taken place in Rand shares. The “Times” considers that Mr Kruger’s proposals are inadmissible; that the proposal of Sir Alfred Milner to submit to arbitration on subordinate points was an act of grace; and that arbitration on the principal issue—the franchise—was out of the question. The “Daily News” coincides with die “Times” in its view of the position. BRUSSELS, Thursday. A despatch from Pretoria to Dr Loyds, representative of the Transvaal Republic at Brussels, gives particulars of the Conference. * It appears that Sir Alfred Milner proposed that arbitration should be resorted to on the question of indemnity for the Jameson raid. Sir Alfred Milner also urged that the franchise should be conferred on the outlanders after five years’ residence in the Transvaal, and that the proposal should be retrospective. Sir Alfred Milner’s other proposal was that the issue of naturalisation papers should also carry the power to vote. Mr Kruger proposed that two years’ sojourn should be a condition to the issue of naturalisation papers; that full franchise should be conferred on five years’ residence; that all residents prior to 1890 should be enfranchised in 1901; and that naturalisation should he dependent alternatively on the applicant being possessed of realty to the amount of £l5O, and paying rental of £SO, or having an income'of £2OO per annum.