SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS

Otago Witness, Issue 2671, 24 May 1905, Page 79

SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS

THE OUTPUT AND LABOUR. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

JOHANNESBURG, March 13. __The value of the gold output for February did not quite reach that of th& opening month of the year, so that there has been a break in the continuity of the advancement. Still the drop {to just below a million and a half) was less than £25,000, and the short month quite accounts for the deficiency. Seeing a large number of additional stamps have been dropped the last couple of weeks the March returns should mark a much larger increase than usual. In respect to the recruiting of labour February was a record month, for during the four weeks 15,000 natives came in for mine work. A remarkable increase this; ail the more so as from the time the Chinese commenced to flow in no special effort has been made to secure natives of the country. We are told that it is the failure of the crops that is responsible for the blacks coming in unsought for service on the reef. This may- partly be the rea«m for the abundance -of Kaffir labour offering, but it does not do away with the fact that it is th© improved conditions of service, the better treatment accorded since the introduction of Chinese, that is the primary cause for the present willingness of the blacks for undergrou id work. And again, it goes to demonstrate the fallacy of the argument that there was -a scarcity of native labour in South Africa. THE STAGNATION IN TRADE. •But while the mines are turning out their wealth in increased volume; while, too, labour is now assured so that the gold harvest will b© maintained, there is no abatement of the depression in town and country. The satisfactory position in winch the mines ar© placed is havitfg- no uplifting effect. There is next to nothing doing on the share market, and in every branch of trade the complaint is th© same — business is going from bad to worse. The uncertainty as to- the political situation at Home is keeping; back support from the market, but, «paxt front that the war in the East is shedding its lurid glare over all matters- of finance^ and until, there be an end to it the- chances are South African investments will be neglected- -It is want of capital that is crippling industry here. MATTERS POLITICAL. Jit. is. the Dutch that are now having their innings at ' political speech-making. The establishment of branches of Het Yolk at the different centres is the occasion, -of their desires being affirmed and reaffirmed on the question of tfce future government of fhe country. " There is no diversity of opinion in the Het Yolk camp. The demand is for full self-government, coupled with the right of isolated or sparsely-populated districts to have special electoral consideration — that, in fact, th© country constituencies should have proportionately a greater representation than the towns. Now the two purely British political organisations that have sprung; up have declared for every vote having equal value with electorates divisible on a purely population basis. Putting aside all 'racial feeling, it is hard to see how a constitution could be promulgated for the Transvaal so diametrically opposed to all existing; constitutions -under the Crown afi that claimed hy th© Progressives. Lord Milner at the very outset scouted the idea of the town vote being made equal to- that of the country, and it was only on the question of the relative value of each that he had misgivings. The one-vote-one-value principle would virtually centre all political control of the Transvaal in Johannesburg, for the city and. annexes contain half the white population of the State. We shall, however, very shortly know exactly the provisions of th© Constitution to -be given to us, and it is only safe to say one thing in regard thereto : that it is sur© to be displeasing to some sections of th© community. Meanwhile the British political parties in the State, having launched their thunderbolts, are quiescent, awaiting to team what, after all the hullabaloo* the Home Government proposes to give us in the shape of a Constitution. The Responsible Government Association and the Dutch seem to recognise that the intention is to give only partial representation to the people. How far this will be acceptable can be judged by the address of the president of the Responsible Government party at the lest gathering of member?. He said; "Jf such a measure is forced upon us it will en-

gender a most bitter feeling in this community, it -will cause a disruption, among the English portion of the population. And I will tell you why. Because, if that form of Government is given to us, at th© first election that takes place we who are in favour of responsible government will join hands and stand as one man in this country. We will e^ect men to that Parliament who will support the immediate introduction of responsible government. There will be no 6pht amongst us, as our opponents suggest. We will stand together on this great question, and we will return men who will pledge themselves to carry, in the first session of that Parliament, a resolution in favour of responsible government. Gentlemen, I tell you we will return a majority to that Parliament. Where are they. then? After we have passed this resolution, we will adjourn tho House until the English Government decides what it is going to do, what steps it is going to take on that resolution, or otherwise you block every measure the Government introduces. We will stop its supplies until we force it to give us what the majority in the House, and in the country has resolved upon. That, I believe, will be the course that will b© adopted. I am told by my friends on the other side that this is very un-English, and that it is not fair. Mr reply is : 'It is politics. It is the right of th© majority. It is the right of the majority to carry its resolution into effect.' Where is the unfairness in that? I say that a3 a matter of principle and politics we should .be justified, when that resolution is carried, in blocking every measure of the Government. And what will be the position of the Government then? It will be powerless, and a Government that is powerless is like everything else that is powerless, it is useless for anything that is good. What is a government for but to frame laws for the progress of th© country, to introduce measures for the good of the country, and if it cannot do that what is the us© of it? It is ther© sinvr>lv as a dummy." THE CRIME RECORD. A very interesting return — doubly interesting in vi-ejjy of the way Australians have been prllarised — was recently published, showing the numbers of those of different nationalities who have passed through the gaols of the Transvaal during 1903-4. The figures read : —British 5553, South African British 269, Germans 3000. Hollanders 82, other - European nationalities 2675, Australians 119, other oolonies 36, Americans 143, coloured 18,642. Australians 119! Verb. sap. PERSONAL. Mr James Hazlett. who has had a wandering home in Rhodesia for the past few years, was in Johannesburg for a week or two this month making arrangemente to take up some railway contract work in West Portuguese territory- He is looking well, and prospering. Mr Ponsonby, another Naw Zealander with a sound knowledge of Rhodesia and th© border lands, and who has been on the Rand for come months, joins Mr Hazlett in his latest venture. Mr George Hutchison has been called bapk to London, and leaves Capetown by this week's mail steamer, the Annidale Castle. Most of ><as interests ar© at present in the Old Country, and he has no definite plans as to when he returns to the Rand. Mr Henry Sharp has closed his business, and is leaving Johannesburg.