AFRICAN COLONIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23362, 30 November 1937, Page 6

AFRICAN COLONIES

RETURN OF GERMAN TERRITORY VISITING BUSINESS MAN'S VIEWS INTERESTING CONDITIONS REVEALED "The South African people are not keen to take any active part in the controversy over the proposed return of the former German colonies, but the Dutch people who have returned to the South West territory since the removal of German control would not welcome any change in administration in the mandated territory," said Mr R. McGilvary, a business man from Johannesburg, who was a passenger by the Maunganui on a six-weeks tour of both islands of New Zealand.

Mr McGilvary said he could not speak for the mass of the people in South Africa on the German colonial question, for they had little to say about the matter. He did not think that the return of the mandated territory to Germany would be welcomed, but South Africans did not wish to offend a Power which might shortly become their nearest neighbour. The statements of the Minister of Defence (Mr Oswald Pirow) in favour of the return of the territory to Germany did not necessarily reflect the opinion of the people or the Government because Mr Pirow was well known to have German sympathies. Since the war, many Dutch people had settled in what was formerly German South West Africa, and he could say without hesitation that a return of the colony to Germany would not meet the wishes of these settlers.

The Dutch had almost complete control of government in the Union of South Africa, said Mr McGilvary, and that position was likely to continue for a long time. The present administration was not unpopular and the British residents were not seeking any change. South Africa was a very prosperous country, with wages much higher than in Australia and taxation was on a lower level. The cost of living was much the same as in Australia, and there was no unemployment problem. The national debt of the country was only small, and in comparison that of New Zealand was staggering.

Lest his rosy picture of conditions in South Africa should attract New Zealanders to seek employment there, Mr McGilvary said that only skilled workers could hope to earn a living in the country, and for them high wages were available. Carpenters and painters earned 3s 6d an hour, and this was about the average for skilled workers. With a large.native population the unskilled work was all done by it and there were no openings for unskilled Europeans. There was no immigration in South Africa at present, new settlers requiring to have £IOO in cash or a position' waiting for them before they could enter the country. >