SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13007, 23 June 1904, Page 5

SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS

ffnoii obb Off.v Correspondent.) JOHANNESBURG,. May 21. THE MARKET OUTLOOK.' The Rand is in a cheorful stato of mind. 'When tho ordinance for tho obtaining of Chinese labour was duly sanctioned by the authorities at Peking, all mining, stocks oh tho local market advanced in price. Some stocks, in "anticipation that no hitch would occur, had previously been moving in a fluctuating sort of manner from elump prices; but it \vas only when tho delayed assent of tho Cliincso Government to permit recruiting for tile mines was announced that there was an all-round riso in the market. The immediate advanco was not fully maintained, there being a. lot of seesawing in quotations. Still, there is every hope that the market will keep on improving, and that wo will not again got into tho Slough of Despond, which is tho oase when the bottom falls out of tho share market. The big houses have had thoir way by getting the. labour they wanted, ami retribution will surely bo demanded'-if failure result.- For, be it marked, Chinese were not sought as an experiment; assurance has been given by thOj controllers of tho gold industry ■ that thoy - are prepared to stand or fall on the question of alien labour; they wore perfectly satisfied Chinese would fulfil all the requirements for the rough work in tho mines.

General trade has not so far revived with tho improved prospects on 'Change. This could hardly be expected. Thero. is very little spending power in the community of to day, and it will be a long time before tradespeople can got over tho depression that has overhung Johannesburg these two yoare past—that is, if happily we are emorgmg from our dark days. It is too soon- to say as yet that we aro. • : The gold output for April hardlv reached the value of that of March, but "it was in a measure satisfactory, se«ing tho shortage would have been moro than niado up if the montlis had been of equal length. Still, irrespective of long and short montlis, we aro looking to the yield increasing with every return until the> value of tho output reaches twico as much as at present. There was thus a little disappointment that tho April return did not top the previous month's.

A COLONIAL OFFICE IX,JUNCTION. The commercial pooplo of the franevaal are up in arms at tlio announcement that Government supplios for these new colonies must be- procured through the Crown agents ;in London. The request that merchants 'hero should at least be'allowed to tender for tho contracts. has boon met by a, stem refusal on tho part of the. Colonial Seoretary, who-dMends tho: Crown ujont system .as being to/ tho advantage oi tho publio as well as the British manufacturer; and that, moreover, it' will prevent the risk of pressure upon the officials'by local agents and middlemen. It is the last suggestion that rankles; no doubt, too, such

I is the chief reason for Mr Lyttolton taking tho stand ho has done. While, then, tho papers here are indignant at the;insinuation of corruption, intrigue, and jobbery,'' as it is put, it is to the minds of most very eatisfactory to find the Colonial Secretary is alivo to tho gross- misfeasance that has gone on in connection with publio property during and sinco the war. . The corrupt buying and selling in the Repatriation Dy,partmont has so evidently percolated to tho Colonial Office that thoro is-hope of a nioro rigid overlooking of Government accounts in future. At the same timo there is small ohance of a repetition of tho Repatriation scandals, and it certainly dees not appear that the obtaining-of supplies by Crown agents in London will tend towards economy. The agitation against the dictum of tho Colonial Secretary. -is sti.il goiug on. THE SACRIFICE OF GOVERNMENT STORES. - The flooding of tho market with cheap goods obtained from tho Army Stores aud tho Repatriation Department caused the Chambers of Commerce of Johannesburg and I'rotoria to mako joint representationsto tho Government seeking' information how the goods came to bo acquired by a particular firm. As no satisfaction could be obtained the High Commissioner was requested to cause an inquiry to be held. This has been refused. Lord Milner replied that he failed to see that any Useful purpose would now bo served by disclosing tho actual prices laid -for the' goods, and was not prepared to press the Transyaal Government to discloso the prices. It. ij jyst as well thoro is not to be an inquiry,;', some unsavoury business would liaye to be revealed. It appears tho favoured firm that acquired ail 'the surplus Government goods was not required to pay for them until it realised, and actually had stores from ono Government department to sell to another department at a substantial profit.

THE LYDENBURG SCARE. Somo extraordinary' evidence was given at tho treason trial at Lydenburg on' May 10. Tho chief conspirator, it would appear, spun thoso ho induced to join him (six in number) somo wonderful yarn to tho effect there was to-be a' revolution against tho Government, and stated that the date of tho rising had been fixed for April 15. No only wero ex-Bocr leaidcrs Do La Roy, Sehalk Burger, Koinp, and Yiljoen named as going to join tho. revolution) but also tho Commandant and officers of tha S.A.C. at Lydenburg, and the. magistrate at that place. Tho astonishing thing is that half a dozen seeiningly intelligent nien wero found to beliovo his story. These credulous onos arc not to bo punished,. for they are now being nccopted- as witnesses against Durant. The charge preferred against tho one prisoner has been reduced- to unlawfully carrying arms.

THE ROBINSON DEEP FATALITY. The inquiry into the fatality at the Robinson Deep mine, by .which ■ some 40 natives were hurled to death, wont to show that tho rope that snapped and caused the accident, and which was supposed to be carefully oxa-mined every week, only underwent the most casual observation. . It was the mine engineer's province to see to. the examination of the running tackle, on which the lives of tlin underground miners depended, but this duty lie delegated to a rigger. The finding of tho Board of Inquiry lias not yot been disclosed. ■..

.CAPK. POLITICS.The Capo Parliament is in .the last days of it 9 sesion. On the whole tho Progressive Ministry of Dr Jameson has strengthened itself in the country. "Dr Jim" himself has proved an unexpectedly strong and conciliatory leader. Tho one big measure passed was tho Redistribution Bill, which will give greater representation to tho large ccntres. The bill was at first fiorcely opposed by the Bond party, but tho Premier, • while firm in 1 maintaining the principle of the measure, tactfully accepted minor amendments, from the Opposition, and there remains very little bitterness ovev tho passing of the bill. The Government proposal to grant amnesty to rebels was, of course, a burying of _ tho htchct of discord, Bond leaders vising with one another in laudation of tho Premier over the matter. The Government. was defeated on some items in its Estimates, notably tho travelling expenses of the Governor 1 suffered a reduction from £2000 to one-half the amount. In the Legislative Council (the Upper House.) tba Progressiva majority has come to about vanishing point by, the defection of the Hon. J. J). Logan," who claims to adopt an independent attitude, awl'who is oppo6ed to the Government's taxation proposals. He, with the \Bond, wishw a tax imposed on diamonds, and such a tax cannot be muoh longer resisted. .

THE CENSUS OF SOUTH' AFRICA. The returns of the- census taken last month aro now almost oompleto. In Cape Colony there lias been no striking increase over the estimate when last made, but Capetown has added to its inhabitants in a marked degTee, and for the" nonce there aro: a greater number of Europeans living around the shores of Table Bay than contained in any other, town in the subcontinent. The population of the wholo colony of tho Transvaal, is disclosed as 1,268,716, tho number of whites • beine 300,225. In 1896 the estimated 1 white population was 245,590, and in all 867,890. Just before the war the figures would be considerably greater. In the- Municipality of Johannesburg the roturh shows. there arc 84,113 white persons, and -with coloured people the' city has -160,017- inhabitants. Prior to the war tho population in the same area was put down at nearly, 140,000, with a little over 50,000 whites. As might bo surmised', there is a great preponderance of males among tho whites,, the number being 52,106, as against'32,oo7 females, lie disparity is not quite so great taken over the whole colony; still, there- are 60,393 more males than females. Tho census of Natal shows that there are actually more Hindoos in that colony than whites.- The Asiatic invasion is then a thing to be really dreaded.

What a fine opportunity the taking of the oensus presented for gottin" a plebiscite of the peoplo on tho importation of Chineso question. When those opposed to the alien labour ordinance requested that the question should be put to a Referendum the High Commissioner pooh-poohed tho idea as impracticable from tile cost tho taking of tho vote would entail;. The .expense of having an extra column on the census

sheet for white adults to insert "Yea" or "Nay," if anything a£ all, would liavo been the 'matter of a few shillings. PERSONAL NOTES. Mr G, L, Sliaw, from Hawko's Bay, who has taken up land at Ficksburg, Orange River Colony, received by tho ' Devon (which arrived at Durban-on the 10th inst.) a fiuo consignment of sheep from Mr G. I'. Donnelly's Hock. Of tho 500 Leicester and Romnoy Harsh ewes and 20 rams [•hipped only throo ewes were lost on tho voyage. Mr Scott, who was in' charge of the sheep, deserves great credit for the splendid order in which they wore landed. A passenger by the Devon from New Zealand was llr Hawkins, who recently retired from tho magisterial bench. Mr Hawkins lias como on a visit to a son, who is farming in tho Orange River Colony.

Tito Now Zealand Trade Commissioner in Durban has recently shifted his quarters to tho' Alliance Buildings, Gardiner street, and there Mr J. Graham Gow is now comfortably ensconced.' Tho ofliccs are fitted up with New Zealand timbers, and tliero is a fine' display of views of tho colony's scenery. All Now Zealanders landing in Durban speak in glowing terms of tho assistance they receive from Mr Gow. >

Mr Arthur West (Queenstown), after being relioved from military service, has had somo exciting experiences in this country pros-

pecting for gold. Going,to Pietcrsburg in tho early part of last year, ho set out with a fow others away back to the northern borders of the colony, and came across some ground that ,was deemed very rich. Supplies by tho time were almost exhausted, and tho little party returned to Piotersbttrg to replenish, ,and remained there several months doing contract work to increase tho funds necessary for tho undertaking of,the sccond journey. Set-tang out again, they had a bitter time of .it. They got within a day of tho ground :tliat had been spied out when the rains came, and with the streams in front and behind swollen they had to sit tight. When thus placed the. three mates went down with fever, stores ran short, and while lying helpless their native boys cleared out. Oil the floods subsiding three emaciated men started to crawl back to civilisation; all three did not coiupleto the journoy. Within 15 inilos of Pietcrsburg, Durham, an Australian (a fine fellow, who had held a commission in one of the Commonwealth _ regiments), succumbed. Mr West and his other mate, also a New Zealandor, both in a very weak state, managed io struggle on, and gained the shelter of (ho Petersburg Hosuital, where' they are still inmates and gradually building up. Mr West is still determined to thoroughly exploit his discovery, which' it is to be, hoped will turn out rich enough to reward his invincible pluck.

Mr T. (!. Lilliecrona has just relumed to rietnraburg, after spending a few days in Johannesburg. Since his arrival from I lie colony lie has been engaged in mining survey work on the Mitrchison field. Mr Lilliecrona is now negotiating for the survey of Government farms along tho banks of the Limpopo. This is ono of the unhealthy parte of the Northern Transvaal, and tho work which will take between two and three years to complete will necessarily be interrupted in the fever months.

Miss Gertie Campion leaves Johannesburg for Durban' next week, en route to her home in Melbourne. Hor general health has very much improved, but tho Transvaal winter is considered rather trying, and as it will be some months before she could take another professional engagement Miss Campion is anxious to set home. It was tho intention of Miss Kitty Campion to go hack to Australia with her sister, but her prospects arc so bright in the company she is with that she may remain for some time longer in Soutli Africa. Mr Edward Saunders left this week for Natal to meet his wife, who comes flam New Zealand by the Dorset, duo at Durban on tho 25th.