The Dominion. SATURDAY, JANUARY 3, 1914. A FUTURE DOMINION.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1948, 3 January 1914, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, JANUARY 3, 1914. A FUTURE DOMINION.

[ -As. interesting "'situation: has •" been I created-' . in Rhodesia—the immense j territory: of nearly half a''-million square miles,' which'' extends north | and south from the' Zambesi River— by the fact that the charter under, which the British South African Company has managed and controlled the development of the country since 1889 expires this year.-' It is_ very probable that the charter will not be renewed. - For years past the white settlers of :Rhodesia'have been chafing' at"'the limitations and restrictions imposed upon them-un-der the company's regime,, and itis inevitable, that they will demand to he freed, from this, thraldom. The onlv possibilities arising out of such a. situation ; would be (leaving the renewal of the charter out of account) the granting of local self*, government, the inclusion of Rhodesia in the Union'of South Africa, or the government of the country as a Crown colony,' The Rhodesians as a body are bitterly opposed to inclusion ...in . the . South African Union, no doubt because of the fact that the small white ■' population is mainly of British. stock, and dislikes the possibility of coming under Boer rule, and the. Imperial Government does not look with' favour upon the proposal to_ establish a Crown colony. Rhodesia, in. fact, as one , writer has remarked, is "between i the devil of the dictatorial company ; a-iid the deep sea of absorption in, the. Boer-governed South African Union," and unless the members of jits white population contrive to take a leaf out of the book of Ulster there j is a very poor_ prospect _o'f their ■ nationalist aspirations being satisfied. The case for the Chartered Company was stated ' at' Salisbury, the capital ..of Southern Rhodesia, 011 Decembjr 23, by Sir Leakder Starr Jameson, better known as Dr, Jamesox, the leader of a famous raid. He declared that the only alternative to renewal of the charter was absorption in the Union. It is recorded that the Rhodesian settlers greeted this statement -with -loud dissent. Sir Lbander?-James#}? ! wards hinted at the possibility of a great self-governing State ■ extending from tho Congo to ■ Maffking, This would, ho said, be a fitting monument to the memory of the late Cecil Rhodes: He proposed, in r fact, a compromise, asking the settlers to consent to another term of company rule in the hope of attaining at its termination the object which now seems unattainable—that is to say, self-government.- The matter stands at that- for the time being, and the problem of Rhodesia's future remains to be solved. The story of this great province, of the Empire is one of the most romantic in the history, of British colonisation. _ A i»reat part of the country was invaded and conquered in the early part of the nineteenth century by the Matabclc, an offshoot of the Zulu race. In later years Germany' and Portugal competed with England for its. possession. That it was finally brought permanently within the sphere of British influence is duo in great part to the foresight, energy, and determination of the late Cecil Rhodes. As early as 1878 he had conceived the idea of extending British influence over Central Africa, and. ten years later he obtained from Lobengula, the Matabslc king, an undertaking that jhe would refrain from entering into any treaty with a foreign State or Power without the previous knowledge and sanction of the British High Commissioner for South Africa.- Subsequently complete control oyer all the metals and minerals in his kingdom was granted by Lobengula to a syndicate directed by Mr. Rhodes, in return for the payment of £100 a" month, together with 1000 Martini-Henry rifles and 100,000 rounds of ammunition. The rights of other concessionaires were j extinguished by purchase, and in [1889 the British South Africa Com- ! pany was formed with a capital, of £1,000,000, an amount .which- has since been largely increased. In applying for the charter, which was granted by the-.lmperial -Government in October, 1&80, the company declared its objects to be tho extension of the railway and telegraph systems northward to ths Zambesi, the encouragement of immigration and colonisation, the -promotion of trade and_ commerce, and the working of minerals and other concessions. Under its charter the company was granted practically sovereign rights over the regions in which its 'activites were to be employed. From time to time the Chartered Company has becomc involved in war with tho native, races; inhabiting its territories. In 1893 there was an outbreak, of the Matabele,. which was only suppressed after -heavy -fighting between an expedition led... by- Dr. Jameson (as -he then. was)*.a;id. the Matabele impis. Chargeswere made against tho company of-having provoked the Matabelein.;,-, order to bring on tho war and secure their territory, but after inquiry, the company was expressly exonerated from the charge by Lord Ripon, then Colonial. Secretary.-..AftciOtfie?..war-the country-was' thrown : open > to whitp settlers,- and the town of I'ulawayo. was' founded close, to':;the site of i,o»s:xch;u's kraal. .. There 1 .;-. was anotiier'Vattd "morb.-.serious), rebellion of the'.. Matabele. in IS9G. Its early stages were marked by the 'murder of'defcnceles^-.whito^f.settlers—ineiv wonien,;-and children. Soon ail,the country ' ofithe : " Zaiiiliesi|wns ;in; a : .state* of.rebellion'.-,,lmperial; : :.trobps!. ttndeiv the-, commands/off. Siim .Fredrnick .C.>.Eiiixcto;;. •'were iuifried up i 0 1111; '«r-sislaniv 0? such pliluv as the Chartered Company h.ul-al 'ih commiind-;-Vvo)untcers ,; wfli'o'. enrolled/ 'and much; fierce-Tho^torminfltioniv-pivwjut':';had pro-,

snisodj Ho be a'.long,land, disastrous brought • about by S.M itSifißiiODES, l-vho ■.went' '.unarmed, ;Vitli.£two .companion's',' into tlic 'heart hills, and there ar-'. ranged terms of peace'with the bolciiiidunas.' The Machona revolt, ,which;:broke out'at the' same' tiuK?as that ;-, of the .... Mahibele, was not crushed- until October,; 18D7. . The evcnteiof, 1890—tho Jameson, raid and thcj^rebcilions—caused the Imperial Government to remodel the. constitution of Rhodesia. ..■ The .., armed ; forces'of-, the Chartered Company ..had:;-already been placed under the direct control of the Crown. An Imperial Resident'..Commissioner was 'appointed, and-provision was made ..'or <1' Legislative Council, consisting and elected members, y file sphere of operations of the Chartered Company was vaguely denned when tho charter was granted '» 1889 i the territorial limits of Rhodesia have, since, by interagreement and otherwise, been definitely settled. : It comprehends. an area of 438,000 square miles, extending from the Transvaal northwards to the ■ borders of the Congo State - and German East Africa. It is hounded on the east by Portuguese East Africa, Nyassaland, and German East Africa, and on the west by the Congo State, Portuguese West Africa, an 3 Bechuanaland. The territory is divided great divisions, Northern Rhodesia, extending northward from the Zambesi and Southern Rhodesia (in. which the great majority of the white settlers are established), extending southward from that river. Both tracts of country are rich in gold reefs and other minerals* arid are well adapted, for agriculture. Northern Rhodesia consists for tho most, part of high plateau country covered with forest. Under the sway of the company a great deal of development work has been carried out, although it does not bulk largely in comparison with the vast extent of _the territory. One fact will bring this home. There are in Rhodesia about one hundred million acres of unalienated land, excluding native reserves. The total mileage of the Rhodesia railway systems at the end of 1912 was 2406 miles. In New Zealand there are 2860 miles open for traffic. At the end of 1911 the mileage of the. telegraph system of Rhodesia was 5039 miles. The imports of ordinary ■ merchandise in 1911 were valued at £2,569,000, and the exports at £3,098,000. a Mining has so far been tho principal industry, but stock-raising and agriculture are developing, and most of the later settlers are farmers. The principal difficulty in the way of making Rhodesia a self-governing State is the smalhiess of the white population. The census of 1911 showed that ithad nearly doubled since 1904, but was still very, sparse—2s,ooo persons to 438,000 square miles. In the eighteen months following! the taking of the census there were fully two thousand new European settlers. Over ninety per. eent. of the white inhabitants are natural bom British subjects—a higher percentage than in any other part of South Africa. The native population numbers, approximately, 1,000,000 in Northern Rhodesia, and 743,640 in the territory lying south _of the Zambesi. Control of Rhodesian affairs is at present in the hands of administrators appointed by the Chartered Company, Commissioners representing the,. Imperial';,- Government and. the Legislative Council 'be.fore-men-' tion-cd, which consists of twelve members elected, by registered voters and eight nominated b.v the company. Ordinances passed by the Legislative Council, when assented to by the High Commissioner, take effect immediately, but within a year may be disallowed by the Secretary for State.

This brief survey of the present position of Rhodesia will serve to show that the white settlors, in their demand for self-government, are faced by enormous difficulties. In '903 the company offered to retire from the field, and a t scheme was drawn uj> tinder which the administrative liabilities incurred by the company were to be taken over as a public debt. After consultation'between loading Bhodesians and the directors of the company the scheme was abandoned, the Rhodesians considering the financial burdens pronosed too great for an infant colony. Since that time the white population of Rhodesia has more than doubled, and. possibly it may consider itself better able to shoulder the financial burdens incidental to self-govern-ment. Whatever the outcome may be Rhodesia has a great future ahead of it.