HALF-BREED PERIL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 789, 12 April 1910, Page 5

HALF-BREED PERIL.

IN SOUTH AFRICA. A POPULATION OF MIXED BLOOD. PROBLEM OF TREATMENT. By Tcleerßph—Press Association—Copyright (Rec. April 11, 0.35 p.m.) Pretoria, April "11. The Johannesburg Chamber of Mines gavo a farewell banquet in honour of Lord Selborne, retiring High Commissioner'of South Africa, who will bo succeeded by Mr. .Horbort Gladstone (recently created a Viscount). Lord 'Selborne, in acknowledging the tribute to his efforts to weld tho two races, British and Dutch, said he wished to refer to the coloured people of South Africa—not the natives, but the people partly of white and partly of. , black origin. All laid the greatest stress on the superiority and responsibility of the whites, and with that ho sympathised; but he differed from the prevailing tendency to lay all. stre?s on the black side of the coloured people—he would lay all stress on their white side. The tendency to drive those coloured people down to the position of Kaffirs was unjust, beoanse they often had the thoughts and feelings of whites. Moreover, that tendency was unwise, because the whites might one day bo compelled to face a great concerted movement of the native races, and he predicted that, in the event of such a terrible catastrophe, the leader of the native races would be a coloured man with the feelings, character, and sense of superiority bf a white man. Lord Selborne added that, except where coloured people had manifestly adopted the. habits and conditions of the natives,, they ought to be raised to a condition in which they could receive the treatment accorded to whites. Mixed marriages were the last thing he advocated, because they were utterly base and wrong. [In 1904, in Cape Colony, 'there were 579,741 .European or white inhabitants, and 1,830,063 coloured. Of the coloured inhabitants, 298,334 woro "a mixture of various races," and the-'rest were Hottentots, Fingoes, Kaffirs, Beohuanas, and Malays. Olive Schreiner years ago drew attention to the danger of mixed breeds in South Africa, and W, T. Stead compared the position with tho Eurasian problem in India.]

ance, pursues bfe> career undisturbed by oautions from the. Cabinet and the whisperings of "Whips. He may not be quite so pptimistio as he was, thirteen years ago.- Yet he'stands Ey his opinions with a cheerful sincerity. Moreover he mokes practical application of them in matters that are outside politics; On the London County Council he , was ever opposed to municipal extravagance. He had the audacity to' suggest " that the council should leavo business matters to business men. Aa chairman of tho Great Northern Hospital, he has laboured to promote a better understanding between the great hospitals, so that the charity of the metrppolis may be. divided to their common advantage under tho general guidance of King Edward's Hospital Eund, He has agitated to secure tho regular employment of time r eipired soldiers, and to reform the financial methods of the friendly societies. He did good work upon the Royal Commission on London Traffic. "He comes of a good fighting stock, for of the five Dickson baronets. "before him three were admirals and two soldiers. It was in 1887 that ho took the name of Poynder for reasons connocted with a great legacy. Hβ has travelled all over i.ue world, and is now. interested in gardening. Ho went out with his yeomanry during the South African War, was placed on Lord Methuen's staff, and returned with a. D.S.O. He is a good shot. Even -lose who cannot tolerate his politics like, him."