WHY THE WAR CONTINUES.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 21 December 1901, Page 4

WHY THE WAR CONTINUES.

A Bloemfontein correspondent, writing on September 6th to the London Daily Chronicle, says : It is a long lane that has no turning, and now, after nearly two years of continuous strife, the blessed rays of peace seem to be drawing near. Hardly a day passes but some Boer loss is recorded, whether it be in men (killed, wounded, prisoners or surrendered), arms, ammunition, cattle or other foodstuffs, and it must not be forgotton that the Boers can never replace these losses, cut off as they are from the seaboard. That the Boers have run their course and are exhausted is writ so large on the tablets of fate that he who runs may read. Reliable reports all agree in this respect.

But, it may be asked, '• if this is so, why do they not ‘ throw up the sponge?’ ” To answer this one must -understand the Boer character. In his natural state the Boer is one of the most hospitable individuals in the world, and at the same time one of the most gullible ; yet as obstinate as the proverbial mule. In those whom he elects as leaders he has unbounded confidence; he places the most implicit trust in them, believing the most improbable stories if emanating from their lips ; and when once his mind has been filled with one sot of ideas, no argument or proof in the world will convince him to the contrary. Anyone who tries to lead him from his accepted doctrine, no matter how good his intentions may bh, is regarded as a traitor. If one takes this peculiar blend of characteristics into consideration, and then remembers how the Boers have been “stuffed” with the idea of their being the “Chosen People,” with stories of foreign intervention and the like, their present irreconcilable attitude will not bo altogether wondered at. There is also another point in this comedian, and that most of the rank and file still in the field are landless and penniless, with no prospects and no and a lawless life, 'with the chance of loot, suits them while the leaders, for the most part, regard themselves as broken men, with nothing to expect when peace is restored. Ambition, I verily bdieve, has kept these latter in the field. At present they are loaders and rulers, but with the advent of peace they see themselves becoming nonentities.

Then, again, the common Boer has imbibed one of the chief characteristics othe Kaffir’ in that he understands no argument but hard knocks. Leniency he regards as timidity, and thus it is that the just, forbearing and reasonable proclamations that have been issued have had, so little effect. True, the better class, those who have most to lose, seeing the struggle hopoless, gave in, but as the majority of the recalcitrants have little or nothing to lose they are not effected by the argument of “pocket.” But however, regrettable the last stage of the war may he if regarded only from the present day standpoint, it is extremely probable that the guerilla—or rather bandit—stage is a good thing for the future settlement. For this reason : that now we will never be again troubled with a united Dutch party in South Africa. The Dutch factor has been broken into several parts ; the Republicans hate the colonial Dutch ; the Boers of one Republic hate those, of the other ; and those still fighting against us are terribly bitter against those who have surrendered and settled down, and especially against those who are fighting for the British, and vice versa. The latter must therefore, stick to the British in the future, and none of the others will trust each other. It is fair to assumo, that the settlement will bo a better and more genuine one now than if.the war had ended, say after the fall of Pretoria. Notwithstanding the devastating effects of war, the country, I believe, will soon recover a large proportion of its former prosperity. This is a wonderful land, and it is indeed surprising how quickly a bad season, destruction by locusts or other of the plagues Africa is heir to, is recovered from. We will, no doubt, in the future have a much more energetic population than formerly. In one way the war has been a huge advertisement for South Africa, and large numbers of people full of enterprise, are only waiting for the country to be again opened up to pour in. In this connection I would utter a word of caution. It will be some time before the country can again settle down, and any great influx of population will bo disastrous. To those who aro coming out on “spec,” I would say, “Wait, unless you have funds sufficient to tide you over some months; and living is expensive here. Th's applies with much more force to shop assistants and clerks, and to those who have no trade. The country, it is to be feared, will be overrun with the former with the probability of wages falling to a scarcely living rate, while for those with no trade South Africa is a very bad place indeed, owing to native labor. Many will be attracted, no doubt, by what seems to them princely salaries in comparison with home rates of pay, but it must never be forgotten that living here is dear. Board and lodging alone runs into £6 Kh to £7 a month in Bloemfontein—’Johannesburg and other parts of the Transvaal Colony more—and clothing, boo's, etc., are ou a like scale. It will therefore be seen that a man can barely make both ends meet on £lO a month, leaving luxuries altogether out of the question, Those who intend to go on the land as farmers would do well to gather information as to the conditions of that branch of the industry in this country, The farmer lias to fight against many things, and South Africa is a most peculiar and, at the same time, disheartening country in this respect. But (ho man with a little capital and plenty of energy, and a moderate amount of intelligence, who is not above taking advice from those who understand this country and weighing it, should do well here. Farming has been sadly neglected in the past, the

great drawback being a dislike of hard work in assisting nature to bring forth her fruits. Better transport is also required, one of the richest grain-produc-ing areas in the Orange River Colony (the conquered territory) having to trust to the ancient and slow oxwagon to carry produce to the markets. This, of course, seriously handicaps the farmers in those districts. It is, however, I understand, the intention to construct branch railway lines so as to open up this new colony. They are badly needed, and if the right ones are built they should prove remunerative. The construction of remunerative public works of this description would also he a great boon in providing work for hundreds of men who wiil be sorely in need of employment to keep the wolf from the door, and although it would mean a considerable initial expense, ihe money would he well spent. A line, say, from Bloemfontein into the heart of the grrin districts, tapping Ladybrand and Ficksburg, and a Kimberley-Blocmfontein railway, to he joined by a brarch line from Springfontein, passing Jagersfontein and Fauresmith, would practically open up the best parts of the colony, and would also prove to be a good paying concern.