The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1906. THE TRANSVAAL TROUBLE.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12928, 20 March 1906, Page 4

The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1906. THE TRANSVAAL TROUBLE.

Mr Winston Churchill'* Kta,i«m«it if lib* Imperial fiovt witticni'V in.twt.hmf wiih *«- the lixtKl ha* evoked a cyclonic outbut'Kt from lite author* of the to England and South Africa. ll- may be admitted a) f.i.w !t.}j„t thorn- intern-irm«. ii <'om>ctly <3nmriai«d In- the tndcr. Secretary fcr lie Colonic*, oifrvr materially from fbe jTOj-.-mm.o bud -down by lie, l.ibtra.l* -in ibeir election Kpeeehe*. A few month* »g» the anc:wi i.bcv were -pre-pa.t«.-i3 to do wa« 10 confer relf jjovennneat •open the Transvaal, and alkw ibe jmople of the eokny t.o nettle f ur tbeumelvfiK whether or not they would allow tbe yd. low foreigner* 1,0 be brought into tie oonriiry. Mr Churchill* *poe<i in, the H-ou** <f tfaamoo* last week indica-tod" tia*. tbe Home authorities row propone to take <a more arrive interest an the f-abjed. 31* Ktnte* that after tie cxjut--1 ing liecaneK bad woifc©d «ut—in June or July—tic Government int«snded * to throw tie recruitment out -of gear"; and that "British ctmKß.lt; a! Chinese port* would be ordered i» r-uMime the function* iere» tofore delegated to agent* of the Tran*vaal Immigration Awtociatjon. and not 10 partidpate in recruitment* utile** ordered from H<jme »<, d» «o." Mr Cb.-urclull wan alho cajplwitic Km lie pwal that a,« noun. a«. *eU-ffweiiuacat m-aw coaoeded to lie Traan^ raaL lie Imperial Q-w«juajcjjt. *' would fix a dat# to termin.at* -lie ■wasting Mww •ordiaaac*, a »d n-onld then conxider wliati ever freji prupcmalß miglit be made hv ihfi TrajaraaJ fto*'erm»ent."* Hi* Mujck- ; ty*s sidvitwr* would alwo be pwsj)ared "t-.t> 1 r«1i» ».dcT3 proptjßal* if Decennary, no toalfer lio-R- gi<-at tlie iri.ajc)jjiy mpport.ing lliem/' It i* this k»,t paragrapli fr<«a lie r»der-Sea-etary'K *peedb wiki cionstitxn-en lie <jf ilx- fierce diNCTmniou iJia.l. i is ww going on in England and South | Africa, -and it in not allogelier 1» be wondered :a.t tiat lie rewnt declaration ; <*if the Imperial Government* intention to i veto proposal* winch it may -oonßider objfcctjonable, liax fivi»lt«d Ititai .critici«a. after ■ the Liberals had. previously ideclared tiat I Ibey wonld all<jw lie Tran*vaalen; to nettle : the question, for tieamelreK. Tie ciasiga in policy—if it m a change instead of i n.e;t]y the removal of tic ana»sk which . h:>f w far covered tie real intention of. ; the Hfime Gorerameat—ls not difficult to explain. Tie Ghineae question wae undonblodly <me ni li# main istsues at I tie rt>cent election,. and tie liberal party i:i fie United JSagdom expect tieir Wi pi«*enta,tires in tie H-ouse of. CJoanmoa* ' tr» clear tie Rand of ithc Mongolian. la~ bonrem. If tie njaW«r wa* Irft ia Jibe ! bands vS tie Ttaaßraal peaple, iißere as •a good deal of reason to jsuppose ffiat iKe Chinaman would remain. Mr George ; Hutcienon, formerly * well-laftowa. otsanber ; <1 lie 35rw Zealand Horn* of Beprwea- ■ ia.tiv««, wio ias *peat tie last few jearg in Jcianaet-burg. ent*iil;ained »» doubt «a i ti»S*: point when ie wa* intfj-xiewed a little while ago after hi* miixrn to Wtllingl-tm. lie is'.cj>. In- sui<i, wov.ld favonr t3.it re--1 lection of the coolie*, becauxe it would more fcaffn-K, and lies«f<Me rieaj>er : labour, for tieir wn im-m*. wiil* tie ( wiite popoiitii*] c»f Joia,r.oei«barg and I'j-e-------loria would he bull-dozed by tic miirhtg ajagaaifcK into ai-quiencing in the employ. meni of the xeTlovr aiintiK. The jneference of ti«- mine owaern f<tt-coloured labour it* . crplained by one c<m«dcra.tioa-~eoolieis and liaffirn have no trade* unionn, and no politico! power. 3 r rom the ©cwnomic point of view, the white miner, a* Ib© chairman of tie Ivanioe <Jold Corporatitm 'f \V-t*l Australia ban junt pointed out hi » JeU*r to tic -"Time»!, M i« wjpei-ior 10 the coloured labour which ha* nupplanlvd him on the Hand, but the -ownei* of the TrajiKvaal .mineK fear tliat Hk I*ih : dency to oj-aiiwe in K upp!>rt of hix -iti dnrtrwil claims would make him a. d« ; luiiing- clement if io were employed <m a large M:ale. lli'ik -«-a* fronkly ar<wed to be tie chjfi objection la white workmen. and for lie reasoa* adraaood by Mr HatcieKon, tier* i» good ground for tie «fpp»Kitit*» tiat, if the ultimate decision ret-ted with tic petjple of tie TraUßVaaL ■lie wihhfi! «f ibe mine-ownem would be tndorMf.d by tie popular rot*. The Libera!* in lui-land have presumably realixed thiv fact. ()r perhaps tiey have only now found it. Va publitily announce the way in which they propone Io dt-a.l Willi it, Hence Mr Churchill'* Kta,l*>. ment of tb e (Jovei-n-meutV intention Ixl vti'» the if neecs»i»ry. n» matter how great -a. majority *>f rlie c-lcitnal legiKlatnre may support, them. Tiin decision <x:rtuinly indicates ;■ departure from tbe relations wjhieh uvaally cxJKt between ii« Majerty'n «d-------viMjrti. and the kgifilature ol a weH-govern-ing colony. . Tie pawer of veto fyoKeeeßedi

by the imperial Government is exercised after a colonial Parliament has passed an Act, but In the case under discussion, the Home authorities apparently propose to examine ihi intentions of the Transvaal Govemnir.;r. before they 'are' put into the concrete i-r-n of a new labour ordinance, and to veto them if such a course is considered necessary. The difference,, however, is one of procedure, and when the object aimed at is the same in. either case, I it appears to matter very little the power -of veto is exercised before -the Transvaal Government's proposals are put into an ordinance, or after. The real question at issue is the right of the Imperial Government .to meddle with the domestic concerns of a colony after it has been granted the right to control.its own affairs, and if the preliminary skirmish, is any index of what- is to follow, the fight on the point -will be very severe.