THE TRANSVAAL. THE LOAN POSTPONED. Pretoria. March 15.

Otago Witness, Issue 2299, 24 March 1898, Page 13

THE TRANSVAAL. THE LOAN POSTPONED. Pretoria. March 15.

The Volkaraad, despite President Kruger's | appeal for urgency, coupled with the fact that money has been offered, has postponed its sanction of the new loan till May, requiring that the details of the purposes for which the loan is required should be furnished. March 17. The Volksraad has been prorogued. President Kruger, in the closing speech, j said the statement that he had tried to ! influence Judge Kotze was false. The devil ; j bjmsslf never spoke a greater lie. It was i impossible to know what would happen in 1 the Transvaal in the immediate future; but I ihe Boers must stand together. He conI eluded by saying, " My reply to Mr Chamberj lain's despatch will show the Transvaal people that we are a Government." ■ Judge Kotze has issued a manifesto in : which he asks the country to decide whether ifc will continu9 to be governed by an autocrat. A member of the Volksraad atte3ts the correctness of the memorandum made by Judge. Kotze of an interview in 1895, when i President Kruger threatened him with eus- ; pension unless tbe judges upheld the resolutions of the Yolksraad. Capetown, March 14. In the course of a speech at Capetown Mr Cecil Rhodes referred to the situation in the Transvaal. Hs said that he did not desire to follow a course of action that would lead to bloodshed, but he asked them not to sympathise with the Transvaal's barbarous policy. Alluding to the Uitlanders' grievances, he said that when half a million of people got 'rid of their taskmasters they would not support ths Cape Government unless the latter j now showed a friendly disposition towards ! them. He was convinced that a union of kinship would eventually prevail. March 17. Mr Rhodes states that the present Govern- j ment of the Transvaal only exists on a basis of 15,000 votes, and embarrasses the union of South Africa. It is reported that the Cape Crown law j officers bold that the dismissal of Judge ; Koiza ia a breach of the London Convention. | London, March 16. i Tbe Times states that at a fall meeting of { the Transvaal Volksraad, held at President J Kruger's house, .strong opinions were expressed against the British suzerainty, and the Government were authorised to take J advantage of any British complication else- j where to renounce that suzerainty. j