RAND MINERS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1796, 8 July 1913, Page 5

RAND MINERS.

CALM AFTER STORM. JOHANNESBURG'S RED SATURDAY. FURTHER DETAILS. MARTIAL LAW PROCLAIMED IN WITWATERSRAND. By Mcerapli--Pi<!!i3 Aesoolation—Copyright Johannesburg, July G. The settlement of tho Rand miners' strike on Saturday night came none too soon, for although tho night of horror was succeeded by a strangely quiet morning, there -were sinister forebodings of renewed trouble which led to a proclamation at noon of tho striotest martial law in tho Witwatersrand area. Enormous eager crowds surrounded tho newspaper offices when the settlement was announced. There was intense excitement and much scrambling for the spccial editions. Orderly meetings were held in. Pretoria and other districts. A great mob assembled early on Saturday afternoon outaide the Rand Club. Refusing to disperse, they were subjected to a Dragoon charge. Another crowd quickly formed, and, being reinforced, stoned the club. The troops fired, and numbers fell. Tho remainder fled. Tho casualties exceed one hundred. The troops wcro two hours raking the principal streets with fire. All the ambulances were kept busy. Sixty persons were killed or wounded within a comparatively small period, and within a small area. Only three hundred troops remain at Potchefstroom, consisting of sappers and gunners. Fifteen of tho former were requisitioned to drive the trains in tho event of the railwaymon striking. It is reported that the railway between Germiston and Pretoria has been cut. The police and military oro watching all the roads leading to Pretoria. Many firms have enrolled special constables. Sir Porcy Fitzpntrick and other members of tho old Imperial Light Horso are enrolling with hundreds of others, in a special citizen police. Fifty Rhodesians at Salisbury have offered to enlist and assist the authorities on the Rand. The special constables, when sworn in, arc to bo armed with rifles and fifty cartridges each. ' '; , DETAILS OF THE FIGHTING. RIFLE FIRE AND CAVALRY CHARGES. (Kec. July 7, 10 p.m.) Johannesburg, July 7. Thrice tho Dragoons charged the mob which surrounded the Rand Club. The crowd re-formed each time, maintaining a fusillade of missiles. The officer commanding tho cavalry then ordered his men to fire, and a volley droppod eii men. Two more volleys followed, amd ten men were seen to ba lying dead. Many were wounded.

A Zone of Death. Four of tho strikers, armed with rifles, then 6tretdhed themselves on tho ground, and maintained a steady fi.ro on the soldiers, who wero also lying prone on the ground. One striker crossed the lino over which thfc crowd had been warned not to como. A trooper, shouting, warned him three times to retire, and then fired, with fatal effect, • Another man thbn orossed tho lino with his arms spread out, and shouted: "Kill me, if you liko!" Again came three warnings from a trooper, and again a fatal shot. Heads peered round tho corner of tho buildings and joered at the soldiers. Two of these were iihot after a triple warning. The crowd, believing a story that a member of the club, Mr. Chudleigh, had deliberately killed four of the strikera, proceeded to wreck Chudleigh's premises. They fired shots into the building, smashed the windows, and exploded dynamite in an attempt to loot and burn the place down. A detachment of cavalry at this stage camo up and dispersed them. A civilian corps, armed with ball cartridges, guarded, the residences in Park Town, where many of the mining magnates lived. Tearful and frequent threats had been made by desperadoes, who wore not legitimate strikers, of Tesorting to dynamite. When martial law was proclaimed, tho inhabitants wore .ordered to remain in thoir houses after dusk, on pain of being shot. The troops oooupied the contro of Loveday Street, whero it bisects Commissioner Street, thus commanding four streets, which fhey Taked with riflo fire, tho rioters taking refuge In the side streets. The sight of the bodies of dead, dying, and wounded' strikers littering Commissioner and Loveday Streets made a deep impression on tho mob. An Exciting Incident. Some of the strikers consider that the terms stated as the basis of tho agreement are inadequate. When tho strike leaders announced tho terms from the balcony of the Carlton Hotel they got a mixed reception, and were greeted with ories of "What about tho shooting P" "What about the dead?" "You've been bought!"

While the meeting was in progress nn exciting incident occurred. A small company of police approached tho crowd with Tides held in readiness to fire, and those on tho balcony shouted to the police to desist. When the mob saw tho police their anger rose again, and the leaders had tlie utmost difficulty in restraining nn attack. General Botha, Mr. Smuts, and Mr. TruLer just then appeared on tlie balcony, and the last-named realising the situation, ordered the police to retire. MINE MANAGER'S DILEMMA. ADVISES HIS MEN TO STRIKE.. (Sydney "Sun."—Special. Johannesburg, July G. Of tlie whole of the Rand miners seven thousand went out. The men in the Robinson Mine discussed with the manager whether they shomld or should not go out. The manager said he had tio means of protecting them, and feared tho machinery would bo wrecked should work continue in progress. He therefore advised them to strike. GOVERNOR'S RECALL DEMANDED. (Reo, July 8, 0.20 a.m.) Johannesburg, July 7. A meeting of twelve hundred members of the Federated Trade Unions at Pretoria passed a resolution requesting the Imperial Government to wicall tho Governor-General, Viscount Gladstone, over his action -during the strike. NATIVES BftEAK OUT. DRIVEN BACK BY HUSSARS. (Rec, July 8, 0.20 a.m.) Johannesburg, July 7. A mob at Benono burner! a number of sht»i>9 <v!)rl rnttapps to strikelumkors and sramathisors, and also

blew up the "Star" newspaper's branch offioo.

Fiftoou hundred natives at Randfohtoin broke out of their compound, and, armed with pick-handles, sallied forth. The Hussars charged the mob and dTOve thorn luck to the compound. Tho striko leaders have announced that all tlio minora lmve accepted the settlement. THE SCENE OF THE RIOT. ELEMENTS OF DISCOBD. Johannesburg, the largest town in South Africa, and situated 00 miles from Pretoria, the capital '01' tho Union, is tile ceutro of tno liund mining held. Tho l{and extends about 25 miles east and west of the town, the areas being known respectively as East and West Rand. Along tho whole reef ai'o mining townships, in which the miners working on tho different groups live. The Transvaal Miners' Association is a strong organisation of all white miners, but - in addition there arc about a quarter of a million natives living on the mines, in compounds. The cables indicate that, there ure signs of unrest amongst tho natives, and if a rising were lo take place, tho consequences would bo appalling. The natives are guarded in 'their compounds for the most part by native police, recruited from tho Zulu races, tho mo9t highly-civilised ualivo race, but tho guard is not sufficiently strong to prevent a concerted rising. Tho natives, however, would find difficulty in acting in concert. They consist of many tribes, Msuties, Zozos, Zulus, etc., and internal strifo amongst them is rampant. Park Station (now officially known as Johannesburg Station, and which has been destroyed by the miners) is tho principal passenger station iu Johannesburg. Tho buildings destroyed wero not very ornate,, consisting of a 6ingl« story wooden structure, extending over a good nrea. The Union Railway offices are situated opposite, and have not been damaged, The loss in that event would havo been great, as the buildings consist of a handsome brick structure of four stories. The Corner House, where persistent attempts wore mudo by the mob to enter, is the headquarters Of the Wernher, Beit Co., controllers of the Crown mine group. Tho Corner House is the largest building in Johannesburg, ton stories in height, standing in the ceutro of the city. It is . tho headquarters, also, of many other mining groups, and the Johannesburg office of the Union-Castle Steamship Company. The "Star" newspaper building, which was destroyed, was the property of the Argus Printing and Publishing Co., and tho "Evening Star," published from the office, was a strong supporter of tho mining interests. For a long time tho miners havo been expressing indignation at tho policy of the principal newspapers in Johannesburg, which are said to be controlled by the mining houses; hence, probably, their action. White miners in Africa have a grievance against the mining corporations for employing native labour in • the mines, i Tho corporations, on tlie other hand, say that the mines could not be profitably run if native labour were not employed. Labour leaders allege that tho Kaffirs nro gradually pushing the white man out,and as a first Btep towards a remedy, have demanded the cessation of the importation into South Africa of tropical natives. As there aro over 5,000,000 Kaffirs in fjonth Africa, they consider they are justified ill making these demands.