WHITE OR YELLOW MINERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12899, 9 February 1906, Page 6

WHITE OR YELLOW MINERS.

A PRACTICAL TKKT

A correspondent olthe. ''Morning Leader" writes that during the last Xortb Dorset election, Sir Randolph Baker 1 offered to pay the expenses of any of his constituents who would go out to South i Africa and stand six months' work in a ulioe in company with Kaffir labourers. This offer, was made in support of the contention that white men- would not do the unskilled work for which Chinese wer-e being imported. t Mr H. T. Sedlen, a young under gamekeeper, of Shillington, accepted the (i .illenge, -and has lately returned with the following certificate:— Ferriera Gold Mining Company. Limited. London Office, 1 London Waff Buildin-s ■ E.C. . P.O. Box 1021, Johannesburg. October 11th.-1905. This is to certify that. H. T. Sedlen h-:s completed his six months' time Of servi -e as unskilled labourer underground in ibis mine. He was sent out by Sir Randolph Baker with the understanding that i:e should do six months' labour at a Kaf.'i: 's work of tramming and drilling.

iSijpied)" Palmer Carter. Manager. ! In convwvation-with » "Morning leader" J representative recently, Mr Scdlcn made; the following .statement of hist experience*: | "1 reached Johannesburg on Bth April al l 7.in the morning, started work at 6.30 the] same evening with a gang of from 20 U» 30 j Kaffirs on a ten hours" shift. Hie first! night I was put to ' tramming.* which | consisted iu pushing trollies of reef, art ] raging about 15cwt. to the foot of the | shaft to be hauled i>p. I was emp!ovc*i on the nigln shift f.,i ; w-.> weeks in tho | 900 ft level. | "After that I was tinned on to '-ram* m».g' at the 1700 ket level, at th* buttom of .the nun-.'. The ventiJalion wj'n j very bad here for the first three month* \ while we were piercing a p.vMMgc from! die shaf; to another. Fiom there, at the! end of the first three months I went « > j the llCOft level, hnn<t-<iriiling, ;>iid was' there about five wicks. 1 had ntver been; down a mine before in mv life, bat I at OIK 0 drilled my 3ft the same as the Kaffirs. " When the Kaffirs had finished their 3ft they had done for .ihe day. but I wa« not, allowed to come- up until* I had done my ten bout,*. and was told when I had finished one hole to go <t>a to another. t "I _ told them I should therefore tsttc my time over the one hole, so they pa-1 ui» back to ' tramming' in the ITOOfs- kvei. After my five weeks' experience of drilling. 1 am convinced that a white miner <ou.<s (Itill two 3ft holes in the tou hour?. "1 learned from t.ie C <rni*:i tvjr.tjf-. wh< ir<ro there a.s Ijofse-s. that the imuot? vx-.:c riot nearly m.- hut as in Connvali. aud it it u.y own opinion. «La: ii I «<ald *uud i; going off from fahii labouring and * keeping* any other white man could do the work. The best mea 1 found in the mines w'crc the Australians., " About my wages-. I was under agree ment to get ss. but tin- mine would not arrange to keep me, so fuey gave me £>- a day and 4s a day in lien of food. Mr Palmer' Carter was very nice to me ' in arranging this." / - ' "It came to this. I had 9s a dav. r.nd out of this I had to pay £6 a month V»ard. aud out- of my wages there was stopped 5s a ,month for'the use of the. recreation room, 8s a month for my sleeping room ot> the mine itself, and 3s a month far the doctor. This came to £6 16s. "At the end of sir months 1 had saved £2O towards my passage home, because there was nothing in the agreement about back .if the mineowners refined to continue my employment. I did a little add work, blasting and Overtime, thai ;idd<*3 to my savings. " I finished on 10ih October, after wojking with the Kaffirs the whole time. I offered to stay or,.'' Rut the boss came along the veiy day any service expired, and asked me what T was doing, and told me oiy time was Bp. I tried to get work at Pretoria and on the Band, but I could' not- get .any. So. rather than break into my passage money and join the thousands of unemployed at Johannesburg, I made np my •mind .to come home. " I had an odd day or so"* illness—j cold—and both Mr Palmer Garter, the manager, and Me Harris, the mine captain, were verv good to tne." "II you" could have continued at the Ferreira Mine, or could have found workon the., same Urm? at any othfer mine, would you Mve' stayed .in. Johannesburg 2" asked tbe leader" representative. "" Certainly 1 should." replied Mr "My experience' cf South Africa." continned tlie white miner, "is that wherever I hare "been about the working "classes I never' heard a word in favour of the 'Chinese coolies."