SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1650, 6 January 1914, Page 4

SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.

'.-. GexeealVßotha's*position...secms'to be steadily., becoming >more"difficulty his hold' upori-thc/mcmbci'syof''the' South , .-. African ■■■■party 'gradually weaker,:/ Nor arc "thevtwo.'.facts surprising,', The;, legislation^'passed !i_y the Union with, the', solitary esception.: : of the. , . Defence "Act, has been" of i no".grcat;;i.;.importance. Land, 'settlement,.-and..irrigation, , it is tnie, hav.e'.bcen dealt with by Parliament and Acts on . these vital ■ have* ; v!i reached - the Statute Book.'f/ißut the .Government has done, and' ,; is'doing,■ :; nothing'for the provision: ofi land, nothing to bring about iwim.jklcseltlemcnt, and very little in. thc : way' ; "of construct: irig irrigation iworks; ,-1 ' Of proposals,' schemes, and promise's there is tio' lack. '■"' ..rNcarly three'years, ago Gen-. . ekal Botha-addressedjusmercms publie gatherings, in England, and doni did he fail to expatiate on the wonderful' policy he. was to inaugurate on , his return to South Africa. .■.Within-throe months of his final address,, in- London , , -in which he spoke about attracting set-' tiers from the British-Isles, ,hs. .appeared at Losberg.-'-'in"it' characteristic back-veld ,, constituency, -"and there declared -that :.f;"iintil all pur own poor people—the'. , bi/woncn—are placed on the land,-' it ..would be " a crime to .bring in white'settlers from oversea.','■-.'■ But,• relatively,*little has been done even -f or.th-3 landless whites of South Africa. Three' months ago, speaking at Staridcrton/.tq a fairly progressive . community, ..;'. General' Botha repeated, ■.'■ almost , * ipsissima vrrbd, the speeches which'he found so acceptable to audierices-in England.' Once again he is J.'jiist!'about" to enter upon-a 1 great policy-of immigration. White settlers' arc-to be brought, in, farmers'and fann-i-servants, 'and the Botha" Government's to' see .that every newcomer, finds'eithcrvlantl or work, 'and nil plensan.t'ihoiues.V' The Government has even gone the length of ..anngu!icing;;'aisystem, by,- 'which, fanners may •■■-procure,, farm ■' ..hands from 'England- at-rcduced fares.- No farmer, is. likely-to avaiUhiniself of. Ihe so-called privileges, v< One condition is that the employer must guarantee to,provide employment for*the immigrant : and pay ■ him high,.,wagcs for-not less than th rev years. ■:.A -Dutch' Ministry,- itavili be seen, knows well .the fino- a-vfc -;of- taking back; with - one., hand -jivhat it fives with the other.' Even'in this/natter of .immigration s the ways of Krugcr-' ism.niay be clearly .recognised , . When. for cxa"mpler'- , the.'i////(7«rf<?/ , s -"'of; the Hand-- demanded the-rfranchisa' the wily .-President.■ gratUcd.afiein -.their request. But the conditions ho im"pi.isod were ; ,6f:such-'a,;.character'that scarcely one had -ire' L tried; couldghave ,? had:' his | naiiio placedaipori.' the'.cleetora.!'rolls. ■And y.'here is.the farnicr-'who is-will-inß-to-givfl?a v boiid''that''hojjwin- rota i itV n n.. ii nt ric d•' an dj\ii ult no inani ft>V": threr;yearsi?providing him 'with- wages'and n':liii!iii , i"-an h d,:'if-. mav■rii'f!,i'supj)lying'ta' d\vp!!ing>;for; his-. :w!f( V <ttiid ! raniilyj > ?..T!i(; !; inciH;,gnzettiUK yroveals, ''(•leareViji.fiii/eciljiiiiii.s'-of.jii'-itieißii);' iiii' ; ati.il!ldi v ?urHiKNKi!AfS'lioTilA: aud-'-uf i:hn ,, l'iip'inVie.rsittf.-yiisti(.'rt)l.'»! , C*^'r.i li ? I a-a!'iliati(Mi:<'li'iibi( , s-i.h(f]iM/i!i(?;:t(ij<-;i!-1 ; ~is«.--tliaL ? i.Oi-:srjtA]S-*'H'Kni"(4oG.riSi 11.4; his : liorce'; ac'ciiaations^o'._f l 4'h"e , oirc : mj.rr|.Juis; ; : (lie'WcentiC(>ng'rcss»ofy;t!icsSoisth; ■ A f r i can V p fi l'tyifti n ~ >'.G en.-., : KnA!/:' ; Bm , .■m!ei-'^!:hief©!lepOn)i:=ngi!inpt;;<fbc; ■ ox-Miniptctt w KMhoSj(G i^ebal

Me the**? Ministry

pclir^ipjspeak.:. I wi th .two/voices;" KrhisSpiai'gcS(:o]!\i]igofrom"'>GENEiiAi;i oiOT'iiA;.y|iiftoSf'hisfs-i)ulycl)roniatic sspcgf;lies:j\vil;h?rcferonocs;to settlcmcnt :'n i loiie|niust. , be.: coiisidererl.'its..in- : the siul , disihgeiui-. , ; ina'y ■- be. tho-verdict 1 -speeches. mate cli,'iis;; theyiqf.t«n:""'crii by the:racialism of a' most, fpxortqii.iiced -,;typc,•:no one.has ;.-yet (qjicstioncd. his; zcalj'.. or his' , truthfuljhc'ss."^|?GEiiEK,.M(':, to i.hi.sjformer colleague,, is' neither,. poli'licnlly Jealous "nor ■ accurate;* The ■ situation in South Africa at the prefscnt'Hiine.. is. probably ■■unprecedented "in the history of the' British Kmpil'C IThafc ■ peculiai - -: circumstance con bs explained only by the fact that Dutch ■politicians! are new to the Kmpire ■and. hare us. yet fnikd to assimilate fliie methods of .the British:^:,:;-W>'

J;?GKNi;i'Ai, : HKriTzofi, in the'plainest ..of ■ language,, declares, that .U&neimlj .Botha holds precisely the same views aahciloos on''inlp(!rlaiisni| and that, iiU'eshty, ho has himself on different occasion!? expressed those very opinuons/frThe■ conciliation , policy, says the cx-rMinister,- is largely one of pre : ■tenee;V;. Gesehal Botha's position in 'South ,, Africa to-dav would have been greatly strengthened.-if not rendered altogether uriassailaMe, had. he been ■.able.to point out where his excellent speeches,' delivered to English audiences, had been given effect to, had been translated into actual work accomplished. - Unfortunately for.him sell this,he cannot do. No more soliil basis exists for his conciliation policy than sundry speeches he- has made in England and before British and proffossivc' audiences in South Africa.' he voting at the Cape Town Congress reveals the fact that Gesejiai. Hertzog's influence, instead of being on'the wane, is increasing.' . It was thought that his adherents were con'fined to the Free State. .This, at all events, was averred by the supporters of Gkneiial Botha. But the extremely moderate and pacific speech of the latter at the Congress, and his offer to shake hands and be again on friendly terms with General Hertzog seem-to indicate that the real strength of. the Hertzoo faction wns known.. Only a little more than half the number of the ex-Minister's party were Free Staters, the others hailing from' Natal, the Transvaal,, and the Cape. One South African journal— the Xa/at, Mercury— closely examines the voting, and discovers that Gen.eual Botha's majority of 41—from among 221 delegates—is misleading, and that his proclaimed success is entirely illusory.' One outcome of the .Congress seems obvious, and it is that the section of Nationalists following .General Heutzog are not likely to ever again tender their votes to keep GEXGiur, Botha in power, .The suggestion has been made thnt General Botha should, ally himself with the more Conservative wing of the Unionists. ■■.. That this may take place is not impossible. ■ But the office of High Commissioner in London is now vacant, and. there is an impression Wbelicvc in the inner circles of the .Union that General Botha will solve the present problem by himself becoming High Commissioner. ■