TRADE WITH SOUTH AFRICA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11962, 8 February 1901, Page 3

TRADE WITH SOUTH AFRICA.

INTERVIEW WITH THE HON. J. FROST. / THE END OF THE WAR IN SIGHT. (Fnoit Our Own Oobhesposdent.l • WELLINGTON, February 7.' The Hon. J. Frost, a member of the Ministry of Cape Colony, who was one of the representatives of Soutli Africa at the Australian Commonwealth celebrations, has arrived in New Zealand on a pleasure trip. With a view to ascertaining his views in regard to trade prospects between this colony and South Africa, I called upon him this nii'oning at the Royal Oak Hotel, where he lias taken up his quarters with .Mrs and Mies Frost. Mr Frost is a courteous, elderly gentleman, tall and grey, apparently keen in intellect and a very shrewd observer.

My first question as to the prospects of trade with South Africa was met with a quiet smilo and another query: " But you liave already a good trade there, have you. not?" ' Yes," I replied, " we have no doubt now a considerable trade; but what I want "to get (it is whether this trade is likely to remain on a permanent basis."

"Well, you know," anewered Mr Frost, " we have lately taken a good deal in the way of supplies form these colonies; in fact, I do not know what we would have done without them, and no doubt we shall continue to require supplies for some timo to come, for the country will'soon be almost entirely denuded of stock, and nothing can be done as yet towards the restoring of it; For some timo past wo have been using your frozen beef in Cape Colony, because we could get nothing else. We can still supply our own mutton, but not beef. You see, bullocks are Fn much used for transport, and then, also, cattle are so much easier driven for supplies than sheep, that there are now very few-left with us. There is, of course, also a great loss in the transport teams. To give you some idea of this, I may cite the case of one eontractor who had 2000 waggons. Enoh waggon lias. 36 oxen, and those waggons have, been supplied four times over, yet none of the first four teams are now left. Tliey have nearly all been killed for food; some have died by the way. There you have a loss of 128,000 bullocks. They cost from £14 to £16 each, a. total value of £1,792,000 for oxen alone. The consumption of horses has also been enormous. Of course, it follows Unit there must be a fine opening for stock and produce for a year or two after the war is over. The trouble will be as to where the payment is to come from. Np doubt some arrangement will have to be made with the Government, in the Transvaal and Free State especially. Tiie people are small farmers, and nine-tenths of them have their lands mortgaged. You see, the Dutch land Jaws are different from yours. The properly is shared between the families, and when a man wants to buy bis brothers' or his sisters' share lie has to pay for it, and neatly always lie has to go to the loan companies or the insurance companies for the money. The loan companies are al! right, because, as a rule, they only lend half the value, and after the war land is sura to increase in price."

Mr Frost is not at all alarmed at the present position in South Africa. Ho says: "We know what the end must be, and we must fight to a finish. The difficulties in carrying a war to a conclusion in such a rough, country and over so large an area .are, howftver, enormous. For instance, Lord Kitchener has to Bco that 4000 miles of riSlway are properly guarded. Then the Boers won't fight; they simply scatter, and as they wear no uniform and are sheltered by their friends,- they escape and re-form into another commando. The men in Use field are at present largely composed of mercenaries, but it is somewhat of a puzzle- .as to how they are being paid." Mr Frost has had a good deal to do with troops of this sort- in bis time, and, as a rule, he says, the difficulty is to know how to get rid of .them. Of course, 'they get a gond deal by raiding and looting, but. no doubt- also Jarge Bums have been expended in this direction. Many of the bettor class of Boer 3 are now getting very tired of the tactics of the men still in the field. How long they will let them go on ruining the country remains to be seen. Their own people, Mr Frost thinks, will be forced to go against them before long. They may not fight against them, but (iicy will give ilinm to understand that- tlieir room will, bo preferred to their company. Eventually they may even say: " If you persist in coming down into our districts, we sliall have to take up arms against you." Personally. Mr Frost doe? not think the war will' continue far into tho winter. Even last winter it almost closed. Since then the Boers have not been able to <*gI fresh, supplies. Presently the cold weather will set in, the grass will fail and lofo its nutritive qualities, and then the Boer horses will suffer, with the result that tho raiding commandos will not bo so mobile. Lord Kitchener fully realises this, and so places hie forces in a better position to cope with the enemy. lie has already set about reducing the weight on his horse?. . The Cape people have nvcry confidence in the generalship and ability of Lord Kitchener, and Mr Frost, like almost everyone else, thinks that he is the right man in the right place.

Mr Frnst has n- R<iod word to Baj' for the Nevr Zoilaii(l(>rs; iu fact, he saye all the colonial troops have done well. Their training and their environment make them more suited for the present kind of warfare then tho ordinary British 6oldier. Ifoet of the colonial!) have been used to shift for themselves, and in every company there are generally a number of men who have a good eye for country. British-trained soldiers could not be expected to have these qualities in the same degree.