Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 1903 THE SOUTH AFRICAN LABOR PROBLEM.

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 January 1903, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 1903 THE SOUTH AFRICAN LABOR PROBLEM.

The war in South Africa is happily over, and we believe the struggle between Britain and Boer has been finally determined. A few Boers entertaining hitter animosity, will doubtless intrigue for a time, but nothing serious will come of it. Another complication of a very grave nature has, however, oven already arisen—a complication that may, unless carefully guarded, lead to a condition but little less serious than the late war. We refer to the proposal to import Chinese labor for working the mines on the Rand. The workmen have already taken the question in hand. It is sincerely to be hoped they will remain firm at the commencement, and at the inital stage stay what would be a national calamity. Under the Boer rule Kaffir labor was largely employed. Now the mine owners having in furtherance of their policy brought down the African wageffiy about one-half, and thereby driven the Kaffir from the field, are loud in their demand for Chinese labor, which they imagine can be got very cheap, and, moreover, constitute a danger in the

direction of asking for a living wage. It has been proven over and over again that though white labor costs more per man the extra amount of work accomplied is a sufficient compensation for a higher wage. The miners are the richest known, and the proprietors can well afford to pay “ a living wage,’* They, however, fear white labor fear that it will band itself together to secure a fair recompense, and reasonable hours of labor. Tho proprietors too are afraid of democratic institutions, and fear that tho vote of the white miner may be cast in a manner .prejudicial to their interests though beneficial to the country and tho majority therein. That the subject has been mooted to Mr Chamberlain is very evident, and by many it is thought that the ready guarantee of thirty millions towards

ihe cost of the war is part of the price to be paid for legalising of Chinese labor. But this we doubt very much, for in his recent speech at Johannesburg he said he did not think that a sufficiency of Chinese labor could be obtained and practically ridiculed the importation of natives from Uganda. Reading between the lines Mr Chamberlain evidently holds that it was not to stock the Rand with what is but a species of slavery that Britain spent so much blood and treasure in the

late war, but to see that equal rights were accorded to her subjects. Doubtless the will adhere to that principle in the labor question, and decline to sanction the importation of cheap colored labor to the detriment of her own workmen in order to allow a few mine magnates to amass huge fortunes by the worst kind of sweating. The workmen evidently believe that the thirty million war contribution is the price of colored labor. Dealing with this point the Post rightly says We think they are w r rong, and that what Mr Chamberlain wants is a strong public opinion behind him to enable him to tell the Rand

magnates that coloured labor cannot be imported into the country. The Secretary, we think, knows quite well that there will be no settled peace in the country until there is representative government, and that with coloured labor in the mines responsible government must be postponed indefinitely if the Dutch vote is not to be in the ascendant.” We hope that the white 'workers of Johannesburg will continue to “ demonstrate ” until they make the Transvaal a white man’s country. As evidence that the yellow man’s proposal has met with a rebuff, there comes word over the cable that the Chamber of Mines has raised the

wages of the Kaffirs to those prevailing before the war. This seems to argue that the “ yellow agony ” has been repulsed ; but a countermove appears to be now afoot to introduce 100,000 coolies (Indians, we assume) under contract. The Britishers who want work in the Transvaal may soon come to learn|why the workers of the Commonwealth demanded a white Australia. Our to-day’s cablegrams convey the pleasing information that Australia’s statesmen have spoken in no uncertain manner on the point Mr Chamberlain has suggested a Royal Commission to enquire into and report upon the matter. This is to be regretted, and is scarcely in accordance with the firm attitude taken up by him

on all former occasions. South Africa has been by tho expenditure of the Empire’s blood and treasure added to the Empire. If it is to be now exploited for the benefit of a few wealthy mine-owners and to the detriment of the people, then Britain will find when her next struggle comes —as come it must —that at least in her colonial dominions the dwellers will stand aloof and lend no aid. Labor at Home and in the Colonies is a powerful factor. It has but to raise its united voice to prevent this great wrong being perpetrated. And we doubt not but that it will make its influence felt heavier and -weightier than any ; influence that the mine-owners can bring to bear.

BRITAIN’S ENCROACHMENTS. Among the nations, Britain is at once the most feared and the most hated. “ All Europe distrusts and dislikes Britain ; and all Europe would like to see her set back ” are the words of an Australian statesman, who himself is an admirer of Britain. She has constituted herself the world’s policeman, and policemen are not loved among law breakers—and the nations are all law breakers. But if Britainjs a self-constituted policeman, she is also the greatest of freefooters among the nations. Rarely a week passes without adding to her dominion. In all parts of the earth her power is felt. Everywhere her dominions are extending ; and all the time she is acting the part of policeman and taking good care that other nations do not steal too much of their neighbour’s territory. In the East she rights trouble, and is preparing for her trial of strength there with her giant opponent Russia. A new naval base is required in the Bay of Bengal and it is to be obtained at once. Lord Ampthill, Governor of Madras, in replying to an address for the Municipality of British Cochin in November, said that one of the principal objects of his tour was to see Cochin harbour, to which his attention was directed even before he left England. The question of providing a harbour on tho Malabar coast at which European vessels could be accommodated had for a great many years occupied the attention of Government, but practicable schemes had not been forthcoming. Of all possible harbours on the West Coast of the Madras Presidency Cochin possessed the greatest natural advantages. It was a perfect harbour, greater in area than all the docks in Groat Britain put together, but the difficulty was to gain access to it. To admit the passage of large vessels it would be necessary to dredge a channel from tho anchorage to the entrance breakwater, two miles long, 500 ft, wide, and 80ft. deep, and to keep this channel open. A few years ago this would have been impossible, but such wonderful improvements had been recently made in modern suction dredges, that there was, he was informed, no longer any engineering difficulty. The question was now, therefore, one of expediency. There was, at any rate, one strong reason why the question should now receive very serious consideration, and that was the recent establishment of

railway communication from Cochin to the interior. And so yet another stronghold is to be made —one of the many already in existence —to enable her to hold what she now possesses and prepare for further extensions* Little wondershe is feared and hated. Yet withal, a better condition of things follow her rule than that follows annexation by other powers.