SOUTH AFRICAN UNION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 542, 24 June 1909, Page 8

SOUTH AFRICAN UNION.

A NEW DOMIttiON lit THE (SAKimSb SIR WILLIAM STEWARD'S IMPRES- , BIONS. ' ■ • ■ A now Dominion—Federated South Afric* —is at prosit in the making. Uw SoulA African Union is rising, Phoonix-liko, from . tho ashes of a great war. When ti» final formalities have been ; settled, tho Motha, Country will indeed be a mother of nationi in tho making—the. "Commonwealth,", ! of Australia; "Union," of South Africa, tho "Dominion" of Canada, and tho "Dominion," of New Zealand., Tho unification of . the British interostß in South Africa is tho ~ outward and visible expression of the desire ' of the two paramount, raoos thero to work - together for the common : good of the Em- • pi re.. . VV' The/constitution of , the Union, which now only.remains'-to'..be ratified, by the Imperial Government, was not on, easy tiling to ~ draft, and as it. at present stands repi®. " seote a compromise. , 1 , Sir William steward Interviewed. v Sir William Steward, who yesterday ■ ; turned to' Wellington by thei Warrimoo, af- . tor an abseiico of about five months, the , freater' part of which Was spent in Sooth frica, saw a good deal of thfi progress of events in, connection with tie movement for the creation of the Union,, and his impree- . sions, as told lo a: representative of Tub Dominion, showed that he had studied tlio ' political situation in South Africa with tho . keenest 1 interest. ••' As'; an. accredited representative of New Zealand, he was everywhere received with the peatest courtesy and ■ attention, and was 'enabled ' to ses a good deal of .trio inner sido of South African pol- , itios. "I was in tie Natal Legislature, w«3a tho draft constitution for tlio Federation was under consideration, and was also in Bloemfontoin during the session of the convention which : went into the ambndmenta which had been formulated by tho four.Stata Legislatures," said Sir William. Tho Colour Franchise. . '' 'Natal was least in fawn/ of tho. general feeling there being'that the pro ponderaoco. of the Dutch voto at tho ballotbox would place too much political power; in their hands.'. Ultimately Natal agreed to federate; on'tlie finally adopted by the' : Convention, but insisted upon a popular. referendum' before definitely: owning, ; into lino. I have since heard that the que&v tion was affirmed by a large majority. . "Two matters that offered considerable difficulty in settlement..were, the colour franchise and , the', language question'.',..The colour fraa-'f chisv which applies' only to lialf-castes,' had already , been adopted in Capo Colony, : but' ' the other' three States—Natal, Orahgia, and tho Transvaal—were opposed to tiw , idea. Eventually it was decided that this question should remain in. statu quo. They oompn* ■ msaed. • ■■ ■ - The "TaaL" , "A compromise waa also effocted with •regard to the language question. ' Ho Boor . language-r-the 'Taal'—is apt Dutch at all., ft 1 is a patois, with tho 6aine hold in the sentiments of tlv© pooplo that the Gaelic bas in, a Highlander, or French in a' French-Canadian, ;; But, aswim tfceHighlander andthe Frenchnarutdinn, this, patois does not stfffico fa ; business, oommercial, or political intercourse., The Boor of necessity is obliged to leam Eng- ■ l)sh, ! the language of negotiation. Both tlio English and; the Taal', languages are taught in schools.' English, however, 'is., compuk, . sory, while the 'Taal' occupies the same position in the .syllaius as French on an English , school syllabus. It is an optional subject. Av the years •go past the !Taal' will probably be- . come, in Federated South Africa what tho v - Gaelio has become in Scotland—a relic.of the past, cherished for its sentimental aseocif- , tiens.;,

In Distinguished Company, , ,v ■ "I fpcQuOTvly foundmysolfindifitungtridiod ... oompany, said Srt 'William, romuusoeatiy. .... - "Whoa in Bloemfoßtoia I had' tho good for'time 1 to in^ r 'VGi^Al , ?B6aA. (pronounood r.ir Bota); the Transvaal Premier, General Do Wetj and ex-President Steynjiandihad Beveral • interesting conversations with t'hem on political affairs generally. My impression of Botha, s personality, his bro,idttr oL viow, his, splendid' Imperialism, and, strong force of character, . led me* to tho opinion..that lio.ib the fore-; j most of our colonial premiers. His desiro is for a homogeneous South ; African Fedora- -. tion, one of tho foundations of ' tho BritishEmpire. He - ridiculed-' tho'.idea : of, a prppanderating Dutch vote reacting to the detriment of rtho/.British, 'Wo are all British, ' he says. . v, 7 ...;,:v . • "I also met the Governors of the. foni States—Sir Hely-Hutchisdn (Cape Colony), Sir Watson (Natal), Sir, Hamilton Geuld Adams (Orangia),: and Lord -Solborno :; (Transvaal)—at dinner,; and, we had a iuosl : interesting . discussion about New., Zealand. I found, everywliero; that' New Zealahd had a good name'in South Africa; Ono has onlj, to mention,that!one is a New Zealander, ,tb , meet with the greatest' courtesy. and_ atten- r .' tion. A , good deal of this good 'foi us is due ,to the very excollent impression which the men of our South-African War , . contingents: created while over there," The Louronoo',Warques Rallvvay. >r . ■*" * , : Sir. William also .touched upon tho commercial aspects of tho LouVonoo Marques . railway, which formed , the, subject of an agreement, between the . Natal Government • and 1 .the.', Portuguese- authorities,; whose tor- : ritory the railway, ' for., some ' distance, tra» : verses. "For a long timo," lie explained, $/ I "shipping trade,has been slowly, leaving Durban, its diversion to Lourenco Marquos being ' tho . natural' consequence of, the great advantage in geographical situation, and facilities which .tho' latter port has over, the former. : In .'the past,' the adjustment of . trade rightsand profits, ■'as. between . Natal v and ,Portugal,. liad been on the . basis of . a sort'of modus : _but, la'tterly, tho . Natal Government, 'realising that the con- . centration of the . flipping business at Lourcnco Marques was only a matter of time, decided to negotiate for a protective agreement, whereby a proportionate.. division of profits), with an irreduciblo minimum, would be fixed. : This-has' now been done, Natal ' , ■ boing assured of* a minimum ,'.45 per.' ceni. : I roturn: in' the business .-of 'the .railway,'' Some opposition'was shown in; Natal! with rcspect r to the, rato per cent'.,,.it being : contendedthat at least 50 per wnt. should have been . cdnceded. There is no doubt, however;- thai Natal has the best_of bargain,;,, as she .. is practically: insured! against' the, vloss of trade at Durban." , ." ~