Affairs in Natal.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13638, 4 July 1908, Page 3 (Supplement)

Affairs in Natal.

LATEST BLUE BOOK. Another batch of " Correspondence relating to Naive Affairs in iNatal " was published as a Blue-Book in London, on May 13th, covering the period from January 24th to May 7th, this year. Une of the outstanding leatures of .lie corivopondence is the confiimation at least to oome extent, of the complaint by Alii.es Colenso, published in these columns, that Natives had been flogged lor rtl using to give evidence. To begin with, the present Blue-Book .takes up the thread of the story summarised from its predecessor in " The Daily Chronicle" of Januaiy 30. It was then that Miss Colenso had complained in a telegram to " The l)ai»y Chronicle" that she had been refused permiasiou to ste Dinuzulu, who was in custody. Jn reply to a message from Lord Elgin, the tiovernor (Sir Matthew Nathan) telegraphed to the effect-that the .Minister of Justice thought that- the Colonial Government should not. be pressed "to give, for publication in England, the reasons which they may have to lay before the Comt. by way of affidavit, to justify the refusal."

Now comes the sequel. In the present series of dispatches is one from the Governor dated January 18, in which occurs the. following passages:

I have now the honour to enclose extracts from the " Natal Witness" giving the proceedings in this matter between the Supreme Court on the 14th instant. From these proceedings it will be seen that the Minis'et of Justice was held not to have been justified in his refusal to allow the interviews with the prisoners for which Miss Colenso had received permits from the Chief Magistrate of the City Division and from the Magistrate holding the preliminary investigation. Mi-s Colenso has, since the proceedings before the Supreme Court, paid a visit--to

the gaol and had an interview with Dinu zuiu.

FLOGGING OF NATIVES.

As to the flogging of nativts, Lord Elgin wired as follows on January 30: Telegram appears in " Daily Chronicle " to-day, sent by Miss Colenso, giving text of article in " Times of Natal," 28 h January, which alleges that nativte have been sentenced under martial law and flogged because they were believed to possess information which they refused to divulge. I hope that your Ministers will place ine ih possession of information which will enable nie to deny the accuracy of these reports.

This inquiry gave* rise to a' series oj messages. , In the first place the Governor replying'on February let, telegraphed

Sir D. McKenzie reports that during the recent operations by troops in Zululand live natives were tried and. sen enced to be floggvd but no native to bis knowledge was flogged for refusing to divulge information which he was suppused to posters.

In answer to a further inquiry for particulars dated February 14, Sir M. Nathan stated on the 19th that all the floggings took place at Nongama, the first on December 10, and the others between December 12 and 20. The sentences were passed by Sir Duncan McKenzie, and the punishment was administered by the gaoler. No further floggings had taken place, but it was reported that a native had been assaulted, by a trooper, and an enquiry would be held. In a previous message of the 15th he had already referred to the five cases at Nongoma. Then comes the following explanatory statement under date Februarv 20:—

I sent my telegram of yesterday re floggings on information furnished by Ministers, who apparently were not aware of one sentence (of) 24th December, passed by Armstrong, the magistrate at Nongoma. The above three cases are included in five cases (of) punishment under martial law referred to in my telegram of 15th February. I am personally deficient, as stated in that telegram, in information as to what has been going on in Vryheid.

' But the matter did not end here. On April 10 the Governor enclosed in a despatch a return of "twelve cases of corporal punishment ordered by constitutional authority under martial law in Zululand and the northern districts of-Natal since the proclamation of martial law on December 3 last." These cases include the following two 9 Wilfully prevaricating under examination —15 lashes. 10. Wilfully witholding. evidence, and gross contempt of court and insol- . enco wliile under examination — 15 lashes.

Lord Crewe, the new GVonial Secretary on May 6 pointed out that-these cases appeared inconsistent with the statement of February 1, and asked what was the explanation. The answer which, to say the least, is startling was sent under the date May 7 as follows : With regard to discrepancy between statement as to nine and ten in second enclosure to my dispatch of 10th April with my telegram Ist February, is due to neither McKenzie ' nor myself having known of two cases in question when that telegram was dispatched.