The West Coast Times. MONDAY JUNE 24, 1912. AFRICA'S BLACK PROBLEM.

West Coast Times, 24 June 1912, Page 2

The West Coast Times. MONDAY JUNE 24, 1912. AFRICA'S BLACK PROBLEM.

It will be seen by Saturday’s cables that a Commission has been set up by the Union Government of South Africa to enquire into the black problem. In a recent article, the Native Affairs Committee of Enquiry threw a lurid light upon tho state of affairs in the southern end of tho Dark Continent. In the first place the natives are defended from a common charge of idleness. “ That most of the male natives of Southern Rhodesia do no work at all, and left to their own inclinations lead a lotus-eating existence at their village, while their womenkind perform tho manual drudgery required to keep) them supplied with the necessaries eli life” is denounced as fallacy. The native in his natural state is an agriculturist and a stockbreeder. If they wore compelled to work for Europeans, they would he withdrawn from their agricultural and pastoral industries.

Nevertheless, the waning of the tribal system produces serious mischiefs. The tribal control is weakened, and marital and parental authority also. There is a considerable amount of surplus labour left unabsorbed by native eagricultural work. The native youth is reafod at bis kraal in conditions far frofa bealtl iv, moral, mental, or physical. Officials are requested to encourage parents to apprentice their boys "at a rate of pay lixed by the State, a portion of tho wages to bo paid to tin parent and the balance to, tho boy Improved dwellings with garden plot,' are suggested, and strict rogulatioa

of the sale of beer. At present it is painful to read the result of the European rule; The immorality of women, both married and single, in the vicinity of |hc mines and other industrial centres, is a growing danger lo the future welfare, both moral and physical, of the native races, it is alleged that husbands allow their women to take beer for sale to natives employed in those centres, that this leads to prostitution, and that the former share the proceeds of the money so. earned. It may ho mentioned _ that prior to our rule prostitution was practically unknown amongst natives, as the punishment for the offence was so

severe. The sale of beer is contrary to all nati to traditions, and is largely the | cause of moral decline. Apart from the moral aspect of the matter (a grave enough one of itself) the prestige and influence of Europeans arc

seriously affected by such incidents. On the other hand, the. natives evidently object to relationships of such a nature. Besides European evidence to that effect, native witnesses gave emphatic testimony on the subject: “It

is very had; whites ought to take whites, and blacks ought to take blacks”; 11 It Is very evil, and a. thing we resent very much in our hearts” ; “It is a very evil thing”; were expressions of the view of different native witnesses, and an instance was mentioned by a. Minister of religion in which a native resisted the taking of hii sister by a while; man. The Committee as a. whole feel that both concubinage and marriage between white men and nalive women should lie prohibited:—With regard to the question generally, the evil is one which can,

to « groat extent, he dealt with by the force of public opinion and by active measures of discouragement, official and private. The Committee learn that illicit relationship with native women of persons in public employ is viewed in the gravest light by the Government, who have imposed in the past, and would impose in the future, extreme penalties for an offence of such a nature. If private employers of Europeans would follow the policy observed by the Government the. evil would, the Committee think, be considerably abated. The black question requires facing and wo are pleased to note that the Government of South Africa intends taking steps to have the matter thoroughly investigated; from the standpoint of the black, wc hope, as well as from that of the white.