TOPICS OF THE DAY.

West Coast Times, Issue 11578, 17 April 1900, Page 2

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

The latest news of a threatened rising

amongst the Dutch people

Threat- of Cape Colony is in the ened Rising districts of Caledon and in Cape Swell^ndam not very far Colony, from Capetown. Perhaps

it is as well to mention that a number of the settlements around Capetown" have a preponderance of Dutch inhabitants such as the Paarl, Stellenbosch, Caledoo, Swellendam, Bredaedorp and many other small places. At Stellenbosch University College the students are nearly all Dutch, cr, as they calltheinsslvps, Africanders, and have not hesitated iv evincing their hostility to the British throughout the war. When the loyal portion of the inhabitants of the township celebrated the relief of Kimberley with a demonstration and a procession these joung bloods attacked tho rear division with heavy sticks and a free fight resultedIn fact, as we huve already pointed out, Cape Colony is hone-vcombed with sedition, and wore th*. X >ars to have spread over the country at the declaration of war they would have been able to occupy all but the seaports and thus increase the difficulties of the British a thousandfold. Now that they are being gradually driven back their sympathisers are very sore and irritated and hence these incipient risings. Although they may temporarily increase the difficulties of the position we are not sure that it wouid not be better to let them take off the mask at once- After the war the constitutional strife in Cape Colony will be renewed with increased bitterness and it would not be amiss to 2nd a .goodly number of our most deadly enemies either in prison or debarred from exercising the franchise because of their acts of sedition.

When Mr Seddon cabled to Mr |Rhodes

that hundreds were going The Force to fight for the flag in

Fob South Africa, the OolosRhodesia. su3 expressed a hope that

they would be iuduced to remain. We now know that 2000 Australians and 500 New Zealanders, known as the Imperial Bushmen cr Hough ridew, are bound for Rhodesia to form part of a force under Sir Frederick (Jarrington to protect the northern territory from Boer com mandos raiding or ' trekking north. It is now stated that every efort will be made to retain these men

in the country. The proposal is that each shall be given a block of 240 acres on condition that he occupies the land fpr teu years. This inducement will be held out to reservists, time expired man, volunteers and colonials from abroad, the object being to form st r ong military settlements such as we had \u the North Island after the Maori wars. Those w^o cannot be induced to take up land will be tempted to juin the Rhodesian field force undqr Sir Frederick Carrington.