Johannesburg.

Wairarapa Age, 22 March 1929, Page 6

Johannesburg.

ROMANCE OF THE GOLDEN CITY. I On September 8, 188-6, nine- farms on. the Witsvatorsand (ridge of white 1 wtten) which forms the- summit of the watershed between ijie Indian and Atlantic Oceans, were declared a public , gold digging, and on the twentieth day of, the same month the Government of. the then Boer Republic of the Tranis- : vaal marked off a township and named it Johannesburg in compliment to' President Gruger and General Joubert.' both of whom bore the Christian name 1 of Johamnes. In September of the past' year the town was legally and officially promoted to city status, when th?i ordinance which will be knio-wn. as the' charter of the city was ceremoniously promulgated by .His Honour the Administrator of the Transvaal Province in the presence of (nearly 10,000 citizens. The history of the intervening fortytwo gpars has been one of romantic progress. From .trackless veldt, over which dtonkey wagon, ox wagon and mule cart jolted their way to the mis-1 cellaneous collection of tents, tin shanties, wattle and daub huts and bucksail contraptions which comprised the mining camp, Johannesburg has today developed into a great city of which -any nation might be proud, worthy to be ranked among the cities of the world. Despite its magnificent site and climate it is possible- that its growth would not have been iso phenomenal but fur the development of the gold in-

dustry. The gold of the Band is carried in hard conglomerates or “banket ’ (a word of Dutch origin signifying algiond rock), so called because the formation consists of quartz pebbles embedded in silica and _ iron oxides, much resembling the popular toffee. These gold veins extend in any almost, unbroken line east- and west of lh*6 city for over sixty miles. They vary m thickness from a few inches to twenty f?et, and dip to a depth of 10,000 feet below the surface. No shafts, however, exist at this level, the deepest mines being betwen 7000 and 8000 feet. Upon this gold-bearing reef the foundations'-of the city may be said to be laid literally and figuratively. It is the biggest -gold deposit in the world, and more than half the world’s supply of the precious meta 1 is d’awn from it, the output being valued at approximately $200,000,000 per annum. But akhough Johannesburg is known to the outside world chiefly on account of its gold production, to the Johannesburger, or Randite as he is more usually styled, this aspect does not greatly appeal. He has an enthusiasm for his city, but he loves her for her youth and vigour, for her eager • vitality and impulsive energy. Even the casual visitor feels the grip of Johannesburg—that indefinable but un mistakable something which speaks of vitality aid expectancy, of courage-and hope There is no monotony/ in the busy, cosmopolitan streets where civilization ' and barbarism meet and the quaintest people pass unnoticed, so accustomed • has Johannesburg grown to the siriang er within its gates. A, party of natives fresh from the graal, gay in : beads and blankets, file part on thrir . way to work in the l - mines. Further ; along a group of Hindu women in ■ gaudy Oriental (garments, with gold,: ornaments in their noses, gave colour j to an otherwise sober environment.: Lower down appears the familiar figure ■ cf a Greek Archimandrite in flowing: robe and stovepipe hat; while on the opposite pavement a bevy of native women with brightly coloured “kop docks 1 ’ (head cloths) are- chattering aqd gesticulating before the wonders of an” up-to-date shop window. ! Here and there may be -seen the red ] fez of the Mohammadan or the white i turban of the Indian fruit or flower- 5 seller. A Chinese in badly fitting J European garb makes way for a bronzed and bearded Boer; and a big Zulu policeman with shining metal buttons and shining black face, and with his little pill-boz cap -set rakishy oni the extreme tip of one ear, proudly twirls his knob kerrie and feels himself king of the castle. In this cosmopolitan community is it any wonder that the British and Foreign Bible Society finds it necessary to distribute its literature

in sixty-five languages? j Stretching away from the centre of j the city in all directions are th? ex tensive suburbs with their attractive j homes, well-laid-out grounds and gay < gardens, built on endless ridges and ’ £ looking down on wonderful panoramas [ ( —a hundred miles of rolling veldt, sub-[| urban homes, orchards and plantations’] with the blue mountains in the dirt-]-; ant beyond. . In things cultural Johannesburg has not lagged, behind. She has built a strong, vigorous, independent university on a site worthy of a great institution. Here English-speaking and Afri-kaan-speaking students mingle, sharing common enthusiasms and striving together to- maintain the honour of their Alma Mater. She has established t- nd stocked an art gallery which is in itself a work of art, and houses’, many famous? pictures and" other art treasures. She has founded a public library with a lending department, a reference section and a valuable collection of scientific and technical works. She possesses beautiful churches, fine schools, pleasant parks, imposing public buildings. She supports many charitable institutions and her General Hospital is one -of the biggest institutions of its kind in the British Empire. Indeed, it may be truly claimed that the astounding development of Johannesburg, in so far as increase of population, building expansion and growth m commercial and industrial import ance is concerned, has been equaled only by her astonishing growth in regard to the higher aspects of life. -Esthetic values have entered into her calculations and the cultivation of the arts and. sciences and the humanities generally have occupied her attention. To-day she undoubtedly possesses within herself cultural assets which will become more productive as they are given wider scope, so that it may safely be said that the Johannesburg of the future will exert more than a merely financial and industrial influence upon the Union of South Africa of which she is to-day the youngest and the largest city.—-J. E. M. in the “Christian; Science Monitor.’