CONDITION OF JOHANNESBURG

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4301, 9 March 1901, Page 4 (Supplement)

CONDITION OF JOHANNESBURG

Mr T. J. Britten, a member of the Ontlandor Committee and the manager of a mining company, who has recently returned from Johannesburg, has giycn an interesting account of , the present condition of Johahnesburg to the representative of a nows agency. He had, ho says, come into contact with the administration at various points, and lie can justly say that the military men in charge are deserving of especial praise for the manner in wduch they are dealing with the most difficult problems. The sanitation of the town is being well looked after, and crime is kept down with a. heavy hand. No one is allowed to enter any unoccupied house -without a permit, and so stringent are the regulations that Mr Britten was unable to remove his personal baggage without a permit. These restrictions are intended to prevent robbery, which was at one time rife among the bad characters of the town. An especial difficulty, says Mr Britten, is the safe guarding of the railway and the stations which, even with the present infantry guards, are subject to damage at the bauds of small r parties of Boers. a',

It is difficult to estimate the number of people how in Johannesburg and neighbourhood. Many of the inhabitants are Dutch who have taken the oath of neutrality and delivered up their arms, and so long as they obey the laws they must he allowed to remain. At the same time, no one is allowed to remain once he is justly complained of. With regard to the complaints about the delay in allowing civilians! to return, Mr Britten is of opinion that military exigencies would not allow of a general return of the civilian population, nor would the mines or other business ho in a-position to start or to employ labour, because of the depletion of stock for some time to come. While such conditions prevail it would he absurd for refugees to go back. The mines, he concludes, are in remarkably good order, thouvh no development is at present permitted, and repairs are impossible owing to the absence of raining requisites. The majority of the mines could, however, start work immediately. As to the economic question, he did not believe that the wages of white labour would bo reduced when work was ’ recommenced.