THE POSITION IN SOUTH

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 58

THE POSITION IN SOUTH

. :expebience;6p -a'-new zealander. _ - , appalling poverty. /„ "'- (FeoM OUR-Owtf~COBSESPONDENT.) _ "- "1-ATJCKiAND, January. 10/ " .During the_ course "of a chat" with a well-, known New JZealander . who^-has returned to the - Dominion rom SouthT Africa after" an absence 'of iO years,- some^ interesting facts were gathered by, a ".Herald reporter concern- 1 ing the. condition of that country as it is at" the present .time. a _ l ' -;- ■. ' " . " "The existing depression in. South Africa"js -infinitely worse than evenrthe newspapers report, bad as that" it,", he said when ques-~ tioned on this point. "-At- the present time -in .Durban; Capetown, and Johannesburg there are _ thousands of ~ offices ' and houses tenantless. Business houses of long standing and the .highest repute are being liquidated "weekly: ; But. apart' from this-alto-gether the "actual- poverty is simply appalling, and " eyeryon^ " who can- v possibly^ manage' it is getting right out of the,country^ The cause Jlb the after effects" of the "war); which' caused ah abnormal boom inland. .The depreciation. of South African-, stocks "since then .within the last two years has. been 80 millions. Three stocks alone — Premier Diamonds, Victor Diamonds, and-ihe-Coronation Syndicate — dropped- 10 mil--, lions in 12" months. The absolute cessation . of outaide capital \was caused through' the iniquitous -.manner in -which Johannesburg -c.ompany-promoters " exploited •_ the.'Jegitimate investing public with "swindles of. the j most ., barefaced -character ~oy j men in comparison.* with" whom a pickpocket J is ah angelT There' was nonsuch thing^'as ' ■ company ,law, ' and J swindlers 'ibade . .their , millions ~,.and" retired, or- left _ the j "country. Rafter havingj.ruined thousands," -and < .they .to a great extent are" responsible ior the present terrible depression in. South Africa." As far" as racialism is", concerned, j between •• individuate it -is -practically -non- *j existent, As for the Chinese, in" two years'"-^ time there will be none left. The Mongolians have been ar very, costly "experiment - to the. mining houses. It would have been, .to -their advantage if they had been able-,-tb retain the Chinese for a . further terra . ,of five or eeven years, but at .the same 'time this would have been the greatest ' curse .that could have befallen the Trans- ' vaal- for its future good.- " T think that at present the mines are being worked .practically" with -whites,^ using the. available ,native..labour ..also. Unfortunately, "only J a very small - proportion of- all' the -gold won.. goes "for the. good bf-4he~ country. The:-^ dividends for-: this year hjiye just.Jbeen der.; clared at £7,000,000^ -of "which at- least - £6,500.000 goes "out= of- the "country to'-I*>n-* don and Germany, to the absentee millionaire owners. --' -1""1 ■ " " „ - - - • ' "Another great drawback to the advaricententof tKe : cojintry is the "fact that -under ; < no .circumstances has the Government ever : fostered. * or' - attempted- jfo give any relief' to the fanners in the 9hape of cheap transit; ■ ' for their" products/ In many cases, farmers' , ' produce; mealies, and fruit are' simply "al-" ] lowed to^rot on account of. the railway; ratea'. "^ being so expensive. For - all " iiat,*' the, - method of farming now adopted is in *ad r . j vance of the- Boer da-ye,- when . one- nigger was employed. 2 to drive,' L one- to plough, "andi -J one to manipulate the whip.' Myopinionjj as, to the .future of South Africa is decidedly j optimistic. I^think that in 10.^0.r'15 years j notwithstanding; that . she is smitten '- with . ' all the plagues of Egypt, and every" disease ■ \ that stock is he.ir to, her 'troubles will be'J afcjun end "rand there "will ensue_ ah era. of prosperity, £hat will^-be 'hard- to beat mi i any country. South' Africa has wonderful' f'j resources. T.obacoo, cotton, -sugar, mealies, i i and' rubber can be produced for export to j t every part of the world. Irrigation is fnohm ' i

1 - ' " to" be the main feature in .assisting the Transvaal and the Orange River Colony , taking a for*6niost position' -amongst ' tho agricultural and pastoral countries of" the ■world." ' . - V * ' - - -",