THE EMPIRE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 75, 21 December 1907, Page 12

THE EMPIRE.

TRANSVAAL POLITICS. Apart . from the amusing spectaclo of a Transvaal Minister denying that the Government had/extended tho period for tho registration:of Asiatics, notwithstanding that tho notice'!'had' already appeared in the "Gazette," Mr. Edward Solomon's speech at Fordsburg on Friday was interesting only on account/of :the absence of any allusion to tho 9000 bogus voters. The contribution of Mr. F. W. Beyers on that .occasion, however, was .a -. noteworthy one. .. Speaking of tho clForts of Mr. Phillips to : promote harmony ■ between • tho Government and-the leaders of tho mining interests, h6 ; silid that' if tho mining houses were willing. 'to. co-operate on sound lines thoy would lie wolcome. '.'But," he added, "I know tho feolings of : the Government, and'if tho mining housed" demand as the price of their coOperatibn' even a ' slight deflection. from tho political- programme which the Government have, laid down, tho Government party will not'.welcome that co-oporation." In other words, co-opcration must continue to: be a^ne-sided'affair. •','_lii.;.the. "South' Africa", there.,ap-. pears .tho: following telegraphed account of aii'mt'erriewi ■rfhich tbe.special correspondent of tliat jbuimal has, had with Mr. Botha, tho Transvaal'. 'Premier,'; on the subject-of tho .supply pf' , native: labour for tho Rand .mine 3:— . • , "I asked Mr. Botha. if ho had any messago .-that ho,: would like given to European invosfqrs in,respect to this all-important matter,. For reply, the Transvaal Premier has; .authorised me to cable that 'lie is absolutely Convinced that thero is native labour available which is equal to all the future requirements of the gold mining industry.' The Transvaal Government, Mr. Botha add-' ed, is-anxious to foster'the mining industry of the Witwatersrand. 'Why, 1 ' ho' asked, ,'Bhould ' iv.be. othorwiso ? How • could ; thoy, hurt'a; vital part of. tho body politic and expect !to,.livp in a healthy'stateS 1 ; The future ,of' tho industry,' lid. said, 'is. assured,; provided that its leadisrs will ' cooperate, ;with the Government in its efforts.'. A|k that'-the Government asked,- continued; tho Transvaal Premier, was that there should be a ' reasonable amount of consistency amongst; tho leadors of the mining industry. The recent speeches delivered by Sir Julius Wernher. andiMr. Lionel Phillips, lie admitted,'were, excellent in tone and material, hut some of the; leaders of thought in Johannes-, burg 'i per.si9tently said that sufficient natives' were not.,avaikblo for tho progress and development of "tho industry. How,, in :that way,; could tho public bo brought to a know--ledgp-of'.thetruth ? "Mr. Botha showed me a letter in which an 'offer-was made of 10,000' natives from tho German;.territory .for se.rvicb on-tile Rand. in-the c6iirso}of further concondemned the policy of certain companies of locking up largo tracts of land. It was his desiro that , the country should be thrown., open to the wholo world, and that the land; should becomo- occupied by a happy and,"thriving white population. 'It is quite untrue,'.said Mr/: Botha, 'to-say, as has-been, said; that-tho Transvaal Government desires to put a limit'ori tho gold industry. I would gliidly'seo another Rand discovered to-mor-rbw.' " v ; ' ' DISTRESSED INDIA. : :The apprehension that severe scarcity will he. felt over a large part of India, in consc-quohce-of the early cessation of tho autumn rains,iio increasing. Tho Secretary of State .for. India.-received tho following, : telegram from' tho Govonior-Gcneral :- - -; r-, .v'.'Gppd rain has fallen in. Madras and Mysore ; . thero has been light rain oh Burma , coast. Elsowhero work (? week) has boon practically. rainless.. ;• "Prospects, not materially, changed, except 'thai the continued absence of raiii is increasing anxiety as to winter rico crops in Bengal, .and is, retarding spring sowing .operations in most provinces. .; , "Uuirrigatcd autumn crops havo almost entirely failed, in United...Provinces, Punjab, Gwalipr/CJujur'at, arid North Deccan. "Situation as before is worst in United Provinces, but labour is still in demand and condition of people good on tho wholo. Test works' will bo opened in several districts shortly." .- The,monsoon rainfall, which was heavy and general in .August, practically ceased in India about September 27, except in Burma, Eastern Bengal, and Madras. In these parts, .as well as in Mysore, Hyderabad, and somo\ districts of Bombay, agricultural prospects .are'fairly'satisfactory. But in most districts of Bengal, in the United Provinces of Agra, arid Oudhji in the Punjab and the NortliWost Frontier province, in the native States of Central India, in the Central Proyinces, and in many parts of, Bombay tho .situation causes grave anxiety.; . The. outlook is most serious in tho United Provinces and in the south-west Punjab. Famine .relief Works will most likely have to be opened on 'a large scale; and the preliminary'steps, have-alroadv been-taken, by order of 'Sir John Iloivet, in tho United Provinces. , . . ' .

GAI-E POLITICS. ■ " •• '"Di - .. Jameson, in a .speech recently,, rofer.ring to. tlio change, of tho ..name >f. Pro;gr6ssi^o, t pariy"''tq'.;{hat' of'.'Unionist, said "that 'tlio ■.Pfogressives"'had completed their original.:aiin 'and wero;.n'6w an' extended party into Whiph;lio wished'to sweep; all who. were Ayilling. to. adopt a )vido policy, of developing ■ tho : Colony's- agriculture,. ' cojnmerce, and .fanning;; putting,.tlio country's interests' first and' tho party's interests second. Dr. Jameson said, that ho contemplated a large, united party on 1 this ' broader basis, in which tho'present Ministers would bo simply tho. rank arid (i|e. . He. hinted, at Mr. Schreincr as tho" leader, though a ieador, ho said, ;hiust,;oyolv.e.'himsolf during tho elections. • : . Dealing with tho native franchise 'question, Dr. Jameson reiterated Occil Rhocles's dictum,, "Equal rights for all 'civilised mon." Ho thatva federated franchise would .evoiitually •bo .settlod oil''this basis?* ' They ought■ to go • ahead, with federation, which was:; practical as ; compared ..with unification, whiclr was. ideal; • .It, was tacitly understood, added, : Div r Jameson, ■ tliat tho Customs and 'Railway;', Conference, which would meet in Marchy deal' with tho Customs and railway on a federation basis; • • Dr. Jamesdh paid -a tribute to llr. Botha's statesmnnliko and broad-minded work in •this', connection;-.■■ .... ■

CmDI AN; FINANCE. ■-: Mr/FiMing, MinUtci- of Finance, who'has been, interviewed .'on - tho financial, situation, states that thero wero special" circumstances .which increased tho monetary stringency in .somo quarters, but tho general 'foundation of th'o.; difficulty was found in tho fact that the business ,of tho comitry was'extending more rapidly than tho available'capital, which was ono of-thirpenalties of prosperity. The Government wero: trying to ascertain tho real position of affairs in tho West in regard to the handling of crops. ■ . • " Somo people arc .asking," said Mr. Fielding, "why the Canadian Government did not help tho .Canadian banks just -as Mr. Cortelyou, Secretary to tho United States-Trea-sury j had • helped tho American banks; but tho financial methods of the two countries are different. That which tho United States does under pressuro of monetary stringency Canada is doing all the time. , The United States do'their own banking, but with us thero is no withdrawal of moneys from gonoral business and ! locking it up 111. tho Government treasury. Every dollar of revenue that comes to us is deposited in tho banks, and whatever. js necessary to meet our immediate obligations passes out at onco into circulation. Whatever is over remains in the banks, and is available for tho general business of thoso banks; so wo aro doing all the time what tho United States Government does under great pressuro. 1 "111 saying this," remarked, tho Minister of Finance, in conclusion, "I do not want to discuss tho morits of tho United States system."