The Dominion THURSDAY, JANUARY 6, 1910. SOUTH AFRICA: A CRUCIAL STAGE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 708, 6 January 1910, Page 4

The Dominion THURSDAY, JANUARY 6, 1910. SOUTH AFRICA: A CRUCIAL STAGE.

The four colonies which in May next are to form United South Africa have reached a stage which thpy concur in regarding as crucial. The constitution of tho first Union Ministry is the chief question agitating the public'mind throughout the subContinent, and, after it, the appointment of the first Governor-Gen-eral. Of late many pleasing utterances have • been met with in itho South African newspapers intended to show that'the old raco rivalries betwixt Dutch and British are rapidly disappearing. Indeed, some optimistic speakers have not hesitated to express the conviction that racialism is now a thing of the past, that it is as extinct as the once popular belief that Kruoer's vierldeur was destined to,wavo on the summit of Table' Mountain. But the present conflict of opinion as to, .the Union Ministry and the Governor-General scarcely supports the .theory '■ that the old-time suspicions and • jealousies have been finally' laid to rest. The Ring's representative, is ap" pointed by tho Crown, and,his selection is seldom a subject of debate in the country within which ho will be called upon to discharge vice-regal functions. .South Africa, however, has already been much favoured by the present Liberal AdI ministration, and it would appear that to-day neither Dutch nor British are greatly averse to providing Mb. Asquith and'his Ministers, with abundant advice respecting their future dealings with their country. Mr. ' Gladstone, who has now been appointed Governor-General, will have his whole strength tried at tho very outset of his career. The situation will undoubtedly require,-in addition to abundant knowledge and keen .discernment, boundless tact, and the possession of mature wisdom. The Governor-General's initial duty will be requesting- a statesman to form a Ministry. Upon this Ministry, both races seem agreed, will, for many years,'depend their political power and well-being. A coalition Government has been advocated and tho proposal is countenanced by all sections save tho most extremo on, both sides'.' Me. Smuts—next to General Botha, probably the ablest' man in tho Transvaal Ministry—, "sincerely hopes to see the forma- I tion of a> Government which, while I not a formal coalition, will yet bo representative of the best statesmanship and patriotism of the united, country." Mn. Moor, Premier of Natal, has expressed similar sentiments. The" Cape' Premier, 'Mr. Merriman—who may bo the first Prime Minister eft South Africahas said nothing definite on the subject. The impression however prevails that ho also approves tho idea oi a non-party Ministry. The Gape Times, as do many other South African newspapers, strongly deprecates the setting up of the new Parliament on the lines of tho present parties.

Where' so much unanimity exists, why, it may bo asked, should there be dubiety as to the composition of the first Ministry? The explanation is found on the back benches at the Capo, in tho Orange Eiver Colony, and in the Transvaal. General Botha and his clever lieutenant may be magnanimity itself; but they have to contend against almost the entire Dutch press and against—it is to be feared—the majority of their supporters. Thoir trouble lies with the members' of country constituencies, with the men whose ideas of party government have, in tho past, consisted mainly in tho determination that tho Dutch should bo always in power, should always have control-of the Exchc'quor. Before General Botha' could agree to an equal number of British Ministers sharing offlco with the Dutch, sundry explanations would have to be offered to the usually silent, but nevertheless powerful, occupants of his back benches. What would the same back benchers say. wore , an , nil-British Ministry, placed ovci\' + <hem? The.

viow cidvanced, and ■ that strenuously, by the Dutch press is that the first Ministry should be composed of adherents of the parties at present dominant in three out of the four colonies. But the question to bo answered is whether Dutch or British is the really dominant party at the present time ip South Africa Both seem equally sure of possessing numerical advantages, and a general oleefcion can alono decido which is entitled to office. If a coalition Ministry is found to be impossible, it is not difficult to conceive that, whichever paity fiist roaches power, South Africa may soon witness a startling recrudescence of old-time racialism. Tho functions of that fiist Ministry offer a sufficiency of reasons. Ministers will be able to influence the sub-Contincnt in many ways and for numerous years to come. Among their duties will be: the choosing of provincial administrators; nominating eight Senators for ten years; arranging the judiciary; taking over the railways; framing regulations for the elections; and appointing a commission on the relations between the union and the provinces, a railway board, a commission for the reorganisation of the public service, and a permanent public .service commission. All this work may be accomplished and the appointments made before the elections decide whether the fiist Ministry will command the confidence of Parliament. The Natal Mercury, a stout defender of British right's,, recognises the dangers of the situation. "Were all the manifold Ministerial powers placed in the hands of a- purely British Ministry/' that journal observes, "the whole Dutch population would be inflamed with' indignation." The two white races in South Africa do not, therefore, yot constitute a model happy family. Harmony will bo retained during the coming months only by means approaching the marvellous. A period of test and of trial is approaching. Upon the Imperial Government has fallen the responsibility of appointing a Governor-General: to the Governor-General falls the hard lot of choosing an acceptable Prime Minister. A mistake now may undo much of the good already achieved.'