MR CHAMBERLAIN BANQUETTED.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11486, 20 January 1903, Page 5

MR CHAMBERLAIN BANQUETTED.

A TREMENDOUS OVATION.

THE LOAN ARRANGEMENTS,

"A WHITE iJSAN'S COUNTRY."

(Received January 19th, 10.17 p.m.) CAPETOWN, January 19.

The guetrts at the Johannesburg banquet included Lord Milner and General Botha. The Mayor preeid«d.

Mr Chamberlain received the greatest ovation ever accorded to anyone in the history of Johannesburg. . His speech occupied <an hour and a, half in delivery. He announced that with the view of ensuring a practical and immediate result, and fixing the sum instead of earmarking indefinite surpluses, he had secured authorisation to accept a scheme based, for the first part, wholly in favour of the Transvaal. Parliament would guarantee an investment loan of thirty-five millions, on the security of the Transvaal* and l Orange Colony's assets, -whioh would be issued the moment it was sanctioned, to pay existing debts, buy «nd construct railways, and promote land settlement. A war debt loan of thirty millions would be placed at tbe earliest opportunity after the other loan, on the security of the Transvaal's financiers, who ood smhsoribed an instalment of ten millions, without commission or preferential security, as regards the remainder, thus assuring the success of the loan in London, This would place no undue burden on th« Transvaal, and the Motherland would be accepting an adequate and! liberal shard, line Orange Colony would not be asked to contribute unless her resources hereafter warranted it. Mr Chamberlain warmly denied agreeing to the proposal to introduce Chinese and Persians. There was sufficient labour available in South Africa if the Kaffirs could be forced to work. Commenting on the increase of white labour, he'said that wibereas prior to the war there was one white to every nine Kaffirs, now th* proportion was torn to five. If the proportion increased they would make it a white man's country. It was now essential to develop tbe present supply, and increase the efficiency of white labour only, and hereafter to consider drastic measures. ..;■ -. ■ ■ \ Lord Milner announced that prior to the appointment of the Royal Commission, he intended calling an • intercolonial conference to consider native administration and legislation. . Mr Chamberlain, replying to Mr J. B. -Robinson's recent statement that it was Impossible for Downing street to wholly ruk any portion of South Africa, wm wildly applauded when he declared that neither Boer nor Briton wished to t substitute Mark Lame for Downing street government. He added that self-govern-ment would be granted when the State's security and the permanence of existing order were secured.