Boers not Likely to Damage the Mines Seriously.

Manawatu Herald, 29 March 1900, Page 2

Boers not Likely to Damage the Mines Seriously.

BECAUSE THEY CANT.

This may seem a strange statement to make, but (says the Dunedin Star) it is reasonable when one considers all the circumstances as set forth by Mr Matthew Brown, whom we have had the luck to capture for interviewing purposes. Mr Brown is a mechanical engineer, and was in the employ of the Consolidated Goldfields of South Africa Company for four years up to Ist October last, when, owing to the imminence of the war, and the nastiness of the, Boers, the company had temporarily to suspend operations. Though war had not been proclaimed "when he left, Johannesburg was under martial law, and the Boers were annexing all property that they could lay their hands upon. Their threats,, too, were of a comprehensive character. They proposed to seize all the mines t and destroy those that they could' not profitably work. If this threat were put into execution Mr Brown admits that the properties with which he is connected would suffer considerably by the damage to machinery and the destruction of buildings and the ruin of portions of the work already carried out. The ravages of a horde of vandals would necessarily be serious— and interests are of such high money value. How then, it may be asked, can these mines be considered at all safe in the presence of a devastating army? Mr Brown's assurances on this point are given with Hie serene confidence of a man who has cal- "~ culated the positioaTas at a game of chess. To begin with, the Boers are not miners themselves; henoe not experts in mine destruction. They won't go underground at «1L Two years ago, when great distress existed among the Boers, the rich companies thought they would lend a helping hand and at the same time oultivate a friendly feeling by offering the Boers work in the mines. The experiment ended in failure. The Transvaal Government were not to be appeased in that way, but maintained their old domineering and dog-in-the-manger attitude; whilst the poor class of Boers who took engagement stipulated for surface work, at which they earned 8s a day,' doing labour which the companies could have got done by the Kaffirs at 2s 6d a day; so that the offer did did not benefit the companies, and it did not do the Boers as much good as if they had gone underground, the rate below being £1 a day. The aversion to descending below the surface is shown also in the periodic searchings for arms. The Simmer and Jack mine was explored every month, it having been rumoured^

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after the Jameson raid that gnni were hidden there, but all that th< Boers did personally on those occa sions was to stand on guard whilsl miners of various nationalities weni below to do the searching. This fear of the underground may be onlj a small factor in the opinion thai the African mines will not be materially hurt, but it is worth considering, the proverb that *" If you want a job well done you should dc it yourself " having some application.