SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2572, 1 July 1903, Page 13

SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS (From Our Own Correspondent.)

JOHANNESBURG, May 13.

The long-deferred nominee Legislative Council for the Transvaal has at length been Completed. The reluctance of Botha, De la Rey, and Smuts as representatives of "our friends the enemy" to serve on a non-elected body, and their finally asking High Commissioner not to include them dn the call, naturally set back the bringing into existence of the Council, for it was known other Dutch deputies would have to b© found, the difficulty being to secure acceptable names. In lieu of the strenuous leaders named, Messrs De Villiers, Andries, Cronje, and Van Rensburg have been honoured with seats. The Dutch will not look with much favour on theee representatives. De Villier3 was at once time Burgomaster of Johannesburg, but was never looked upon as a shining light; Cronje is the wrong Cronje so far as the Afrikanders are concrrned, seeing he was head of the National Scouts; and Van Rensburg, who aid good service as an anti-Krugerifee in the old Volksraad, is not on that account held in high esteem by the Dutch. Of the 14 unofficial members of the Council, Johannesburg gefs six — the Knights of the Mines, Sir Percy Fitzpatcick and Sir George FarTar, being two ; Messrs Hosken, merchant ; Harry Solomon, a dilettante financier ; Hull, aolicitor; and Raitt, a town councillor and working man's representative, making up the number.

• The Town Council of Pretoria resigned en bloc a short while since as a protest against the sequestration of town lands by the Government. In the meantime, deprived of City Fathers, the municipal affairs of the capital are being administered by a commission, the chief functionary being Mr Lionel Curtis, ex-town clerk of Johannesburg. This question as to whether town endowments granted by the Dutch Republio Bhould remain in etatu quo is exercising a lot of disputation at all the principal centres in the Transvaal. In Johannesburg the Government has claimed the right to annex certain rceOTvce for General Government purposes, but mo unreasonable curtailment of town privileges has been made, or is contemplated. In any case the good of th© general publio is conserved by the Executive exercising a right to divert excessive town endowments.

With the successful flotation of the Transvaal loan — it was an unparalleled success, as you know — the supposition was universally formed that the long-ccntinued slump in th© share market would come tc, an end. Amd promise was given that this was so on the day it was known the loan was subscribed tenfold, as stocks went up in value all round. The betterment was only, however, for a single day. Reaction eet in with war rumours in the air, and the market became as slumpy as ever. Very sensitive indeed is this came share market. The least thing, •Moh as a revere© in Somaliland, affects it. But with assurances that peace will be maintainxxl there is a general expectation that things on. 'Change will begin to show improvement er© long. It is satisfactory to state- that the gold returns from the Rand reefs continue to mount up, the April output beiaig tke best since active operations ivere resumed. The- labour bugbear is quiescent at present, " boya " coming forward for employment on tbe mince in increased numbers, though not as freely as could be desired.

The- Natal Parliament was opened on April 30. Parties therein are almost equally divided, and the Government was challenged on a no- confidence question as almost the first buein«s. The resulted in \ narrow majority for these in power, and members are now settling lown to real business. • Following the lead of Cape CcJony and Natal, the Portuguese authorities have abolished all transit dues on good carried on th© Delagoa line to the Transvaal. When, then, the. new Customs tariff comes into operation on July 1 the reductions, coupled with lighter railway freights, will mater' ally lessen cost of living in the inland eoloniee. t

The Pollards— now designated the Australian Royal Opera Company — opened their South African tour at the Good Hope Theatre at Capetown, at the beginning of the month, and are doing excellent business. It is announced they will be th© first company to appear at His Majesty'?, the theatre now under construction in Johannesburg. It will bo some months before this now place of amusement is ready for occupation . bo that we will not see the New Zealand favourites on the Rand for some time yet. There is again some talk of despatching a contingent of ex-irregulars from Here to Toinforoe the Somaliland Expeditionary Jforoe. Lioutenaut-colonel Bauchop was among the officers addTCW=ed with a view to ascertaining wMit chance there would be of raising a contingent of oversea colonials having had war service, and now resident in South Africa, for the undertaking. The answer given was that two squadrons could easily be supplied. The Johannrsburg branch of the P*ew Zea'and Association resolved at a recent meeting that there should be a periodical *' working bee " of members to keep in older the graves of their countrymen in Braamfontean Cemetery. The first "bee" party was gratified to find the gTavef had been really well kept. There- are 12 fallen New Zealanders buried at Bra-amfontein — viz., Lieutenant W. J. Berry, Corporal R. B. TJpton, Troopers W. J. Sansom, W. C. Colvin, F. Bourno, W. L. Moffat, W. P. Mattens. F. Broome, T. Withers, C. K. "Ward, J. P. Lines, and Sergeant A. M. Reid.

The Tegiment of rcculars, >the ATgyll and Sutherland Highlanders, that has bpen garrisoning Johannesburg tince the bulk of the troops went home, took its departure this month in conformity with the or(.W to 10tluce the South African army e-tabhshment. The '" ki'.tiea " bad become such warm favourites with the- people that they are much nvie&ecl. The barracks, which is situated on » commanding p'i'ition, is now to be demolished, and will pr?«urnablv bo sold lor residential sites. The fort behind the barracks will be kept up and retained as a police depot. It w?a ooiutrn ;'ed by the Kruger Government, to ivevaw c the Uitlimdars. guns bsing mounted which could have raked the principal P ar< * of '"* Cit V Where the bairacios stscids and thf adjacent blocks have been named "Argyll," out of compliment to the HiclilaHd regiment. A great many of the criminal claps have found their way to .South Africa from Australia, and "jii't a f*w " from New Zealand. On- Joiiips Cull-n defcr'ned s>s a New Zeaknder, was before the Police

Magistral at Johannesburg on May N 2 charged with escaping from custody at Heidelberg. The accused was, j with four others, awaiting trial at the latter I place for horse-stealing, when the whole of them escaped. Cull&n and a mate were | recaptured in a house at Fordsburg. The ; main case will not come off for some weeks. I The report of a case last week in which another- New Ztalander figured would make it appear he is more fool than knave. The report states : Gustave Smith, a New Zealander, was charged in " C" Court with intruding on the premises of Will am Dodds. 18 Woihuter road, at 6.30 p.m. on the 27th April. Complainant gave a detailed account of the 1 [intrusion and of the abuse given by the accused. The accused, on being asked if he had any questions to put, atruck a dramatic attitude, and, in an excited toce, said : " Did you not offer a policeman £3 to" punch my nose? Come on, answer ; say yes or no." " No," replied the witness. P.C. Jameson stated that he was called to the house, and saw the accused arguing with Mr Dodd. Witness told him to leave the place, but he would not, and prisoner had to be forced out of the house. Outside he refused to go to the station unless in a cab, but, with assistance, he was eventually got there. The Accused: Did you not bite my cheek' — No. Did not P.C. yo. 60 bite my cheek?— Ko. Did I not ask you to put my horse and cart .in a stable? Come on, answer, yes or no; I want no argument. The accused's attitude became most threatening, and he was cautioned by the magistrate that if he diid not put his questions in a proper manner the case would be put bick. The warning, however, had no effect on the defendant, whose excitement increased^ Eventually the case was remanded until the afternoon, and the accused was removed to the courtyard. On the case coming again before the couri, a fine of £5 was imposed.