BOTHA=LAND.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 203, 25 August 1916, Page 3 (Supplement)

BOTHA=LAND.

BRITAIN'S NEW POSSESSIONS When General Louis Botha took possession of the territory then known ns German South-west Africa he added *o the Empire of Great Britain an area cf greater dimension than Germany itself. No fewer tlijan 322,450 square ai'.ies were splashed with red —the colour of Britain's possessions as shown on all atlases. And it is safe to add that this land is for all thus Br/tish. Ihe country itself, was but sparsely populated. The latest author ties give it but 80,000 souls of the native race- • such a-s Bushmen, Bantu, Hottentot and Damara. Of the European populate ot 15,000, over 12,000 were German. It is divided into three d:stricts running parallel from the seaboard. The northern d-'strict is Amboland, the centre district is Damara Land, wb'le the southern district s Damaqua Land. The farm lands iu the interior are separated from the sea hj; the Nanul Desert. The headquarters of German administration was at Windhoek, while other sub-seats were at Swakopmund, Keetmanshoep, Gibeon and Uohabis. Tho chief industry is pastoral, and seventy millions of acres of farm land hav> been d'sposed of to the farmers. There is little real agriculture, but a great trade is done in market)' gardening. Cotton, vine, tobacco and silk culture are also carried on. while of late the German Government establ : shed many experimental stations for agriculture and forestry. Two years ago an agricultural bank was opened, with an initial capital of £500,000. The revenue of last year was set down at £1,177,001 while the expenditure was £2,000,000! The country is rich in minerals, and copper and diamond mining lias been carried on for some time. Gold, marble, asliestos, graphite and other minerals have also Lleen fouiift but .n small quantities. The natural harbours are Sandwich Harbour and --ingra Pequena. A new harbour is also being constructed at Swakopmund The railways have a total mileage of 1318. There are 24-5/ miles of telegraph and 415 of telephone, while before the war access to the outside world was by means of cable. The conquered" territory is a great stock country, and consists of endless undulating, grassy plains, but for the stock-raiser to do well the laws will have to be radically altered. This, no doubt, will be attended to by the South African Government. The German law was full of military admixture, withal too stringent. The native had many restrictions placed on him, and the fact that in this country the natve is needed, seems to have been overlooked. Irrigation, too. is needed in some parts ot the territory to regulate the full use of the existing waters. Much has also to be done in the way of dam-mak-in gaud well-sinking. Above all, it seems that those in power lacked colonial experience, which is sadly needed in such a place as South-west Africa. " Botha-land" is a land of big game. Although the large animals are to oe found in the central parte of the country, they are plentiful in the flat, sandy country to the west, near the coast, and to" the east, in the region of Kalahari. Here are to b,e found plenty ot gemsbok, wildebeest, wartebeest, ostrich, and an occasional iion. while the smaller game are to be found in largo quantities. * The Kalahari is usually supposed to be an impossible sandy waste, but this is not true. The summer rains fall from December to March, and turn the vast brown, dried veldt into a wide stretc.i of green pasture. The grass grows quickly to a height of 3ft., like a huge cornfield, stretching in every direction. A thick bedding of undergrowth almost hides the sand. EdVble roots on which the natives feed, are to be found ia large quantities, and varieties of the gourd arc also found. Other products of the Kalahari are the ichama, the wild cucumber, ott which the ostrich feed. With water this huge tract of land would y : eld marvellous crops. It is possible that one day deep bores maybe put down winch will make the Kalahari desert one of the richest farming lands in the world. The natives of German South-west Africa are of a higher type and of a purer race than the native of Cap"} Colony. To a large extent these natives retired to the north in-order ti avoul the approach of the white man from the south. They never fully learned subject : on to the influence of the white man, never realised the necessity of accepting conditions forced on them by the inevitable march ■ f civilisation. They are still wild and warlike regarding the country as their own, jealous of what they consider outside interference, and .ready on the slightest pretext to take the field in arms.