The Wanganui Herald. (Published Daily.) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1920. UNREST IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160796, 2 November 1920, Page 4

The Wanganui Herald. (Published Daily.) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1920. UNREST IN SOUTH AFRICA.

As we have mentioned once or twice lately, South African messages indicate a considerable amount of political turmoil In the Union, and the latest, outlining General- Smut’s speech at the South African Parliamentary Conference, does not give a great deal of hope of the conflicting elements being reconciled, at least not in a manner likely to bring unmixed satisfaction to British loyalists. General Smuts regretted the failure to /attain unity between his own party and the Nationalists, and seemed disturbed by the fact of social and labour unrest, and then proceeded to appeal for the formation of a new party on non-raclal lines so. that a strong Government could be formed. The very fact that such an appeal was found necessary would indicate the uncertainty of General Smuts' position, even if there were no other evidence on the point. The appeal for a non-racial party is weaker still, for the simple reason that it is one of the last things possible in South Africa, and putting it forward has, without doubt, the appearance of a policy of desperation. That very large numbers of the Boers have become reconciled with the British is undoubted, hut oi f the other hand the Nationalist party, though in the minority, is still large, and is Implacably hostile, and is no more likely to coalesce with the pro-British section than oil and water are to mix. Apparently General Smuts’ great fear is that the-’ growing -Labour Party will eventually turn him out of office, which he considers bad, and then take charge of the country, he looks on as calamitous. So much is evident from his previous speeches on the subject. Dominated by this fear, he brands the Labourites as revolutionaries, Bolsheviks, and so forth, when, as a matter of fact they are far from being so.