CONGO ABUSES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 753, 28 February 1910, Page 5

CONGO ABUSES.

I BELGIUM'S ; r TCCKINTFJtFERENOT';'/| ?.:;.i: .;;•.;.;:. 'ATTITUDE.'//.;: •/.':, v;i ABBOciation-^Copyrlßht. ■';'■■ ■;V ■ :'v ; ':.:.: Brussels, February '25; .' ; '-;■' The Belgian ■ Minister for thq Colonies, ill.; Renkiiv has declared that he will not tolerate ■ any .foreign intervention;'; in, Congo .affairs. He "refuses(to center';into' a"i '.discussion. with the; Congo [Reform ,'Asso-1 ;ciation.'- ■■'./-. "J "'-'•'•./ 'Vr'-;::'.; ■. -.;..-. ■ :.:'.-'- ':';(■ '.' 1

-; ;. mr;,renkin.'s DEFENCE.. ; - . ,At the end of' January, M.Renkin'was reported as; announcing the: cessation' of forced: laboiir-rwhich,' is ..probably.,. /the. :main ■ cause ofl offence in the, Congo. sys-, torn.:',.' The J hew - sovereign of - Belgium, ;King Albert, in\his first speech declared:'

"In the Congo the: nation wishes" for' a policy, of humanity and progress. Belgium !always;keeps her- word;- and,','..• when:// She engages 'to : apply ...to; the. .Congo; a policy, worthy .of her.j'no' bne.!has: a" right ' to doubt." v Yet a cablegram i on'; February' 17r-dated', subsequently -;to;, M. [Renkin s announcementr-stated: : "The revenue/continues to beVmainly, derived from, forced labour.'' No doubt M;. Renkin's ; remark, published ;to-day/ as to the Congo, Reform Association,, refers to ; a recently" ; cabled statement by Mr. E. .'D.; Morel, becretary of. tho; British Congo Reform -Association; and: thatl.the' late King. Leopold trans-, "ferredi'to; other'.-',institutions' two. million' sterling which : . properly, [belongs to .'--[the' Cougoj; also, that, : if the money, can;-be recovered, King Albert ■ will. bo willing' to devote it. to the,remedying of. evils. •, v.. : "- On December 15, M.. Renkin,; as Minis-, . tor V for the .Colonies,;' made a'■ < notable .speech .in the Chamber, in delivering his Budget statement/,: for, the; Congo.,.,'l'he, •Minister, who .spoke for three hours, said; be was happy to 'see that the: prograinmo of reforms had,been well.received. Nevertheless the English campaign against the Free State continued.'against /: Belgium; Ho referred "■. particularly to the"; Albert. Hall meeting:of November.l 9,' and said that-comparative .moderation'of the language of the' Archbishop / of. Canterbury could not' m'ako. amends; for the insult offered to Belgium when she: was'; accused of .cruelty and of exploiting' the Congo' for: her'own benefit.- M.[ Renkin/continued'.—

'. r '"So far as concerns my own.adrninis-, tratioh, I/must solemnly and emphatically deny the .'..truth-' ot the, pictures drawn by . irresponsible Congophobes for the purpose of misleading English opinion —pictures which are in flagrant contra-: diction with [reality. ■" Cordial ..relations' exist between, the i natives and the Euro'pean agents. No'serious : abuse"was:;re•pbrted.'to'me' during my [journey in .'the Congo, he' accusation made by Herr Doerpinghaus is aimed at. an individual company, " a judicial inquiry has been opened, •arid, the agent, of the- Haut. Congo has already been 'summoned .to appear before tho Court.' Mr. Morrison (the American missionary) charges M. Kervyn' de Merendre, an agent of the colony, with-hav-ing forcibly-carried off women,and children,'- and .with : having; burned: villages. An inquiry has been: ordered, but why did hot Mr.- Morrison..report, these facts to me at Boma?"..''■; • " ;.::

'. M. Renkin proceeded, to > make a 'general declaration'. that . the .Government would tolerate' no abuses in the; Congo, and: said that the country could: y bear comparison with, other colonies.'English opinion was beginning to, loso 6ome of its hostility. He did not desire to discuss the'economic.policy of the Free State, but they would do well to recognise the_ greatness'of its'work; its .administrative: organisation was superior to that of the;neighbouring. colonies. .The Congo now possessed financial guarantees by its union with Belgium, but it was impossible to revolutionise the land, system .immediately.; Mr. Vandorvelde's theory or vacant lands could not.be accepted) tho'nogro. could not grasp the idea of property.,