All Blacks See Rand Gold and Kaffir Dances

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 423, 3 August 1928, Page 7

All Blacks See Rand Gold and Kaffir Dances

Old New Zealanders at Johannesburg more: about the play (Front Our Special Correspondent.) JOHANNESBURG, June 18. So much of our time has been, and ill be, spent in the part of the country m and around Johannesburg that I “ant to tell you something of our doings here, and some features of the laces we visit. Most people know of the existence of the 50-mile long goldbearing reef that has played such a part in the development of South Africa. I shall not weary you with details, but briefly, Johannesburg did not exist before 1885, and since that time it has become the biggest city in South Africa, and the gayest and busiest. Hundreds of thousands of people, Europeans and natives, work along this interesting reef, and the dull grey and somewhat sinister dumps at the mouth of the mines seem endless, too. Everyone seems to like Jo’burg, as it is called __“no place like Jo’burg”—yet the unusually slow chime of the town clock seems to me to be having the final say. as though it refuses to be infected with this wild rushing after the things of the moment. ■\Ve have all seen the process of gold refining which is done at the Rand Refinery, some distance from Johannesburg. An enormous amount of gold is treated there, and a saving of a million pounds per annum is made by the various mines since they stopped sending their impure metals abroad for refining. UNTOLD WEALTH Just as the sight of untold wealth in diamonds depressed me, so did the sight of all this colossal industry and activity spent in winning the gold from the reluctant earth. There is no such general thing as a thought for the time when the gold is not to be had. “Not in our lifetime!” After all, there is something infectious about this mineral world, and it is all very well for a dour and stodgy New Zealander, who likes rolling wheat fields and prize Friesian cattle, to be sceptical—“and,” says the cynic, “it’s just as well they can find something useful or at least valuable underneath the ground, for the soil is only fit for a Kaffir wardance.” Partly true, the above, but a Kaffir ■war-dance is an interesting thing, and we saw one, or several, a week ago, performed by workers at a mine near the city. One’s first feeling is to be glad that these men who are working at such an uncongenial job get an opportunity for outlet and expression on at least one day of the week. The native outlook on the affairs of life is vastly different from that of the European, and he loves to use the “play motive” wherever possible. The begrimed, but singing and dancing Kaffir, who coals the ships that touch at Durban, was the first instance of this that I noticed. So you may put tho Kaffir down into the bowels of the earth six days of the week, and he comes up smiling for that seventh day of diversion. The dances that take place at the mines are not so spectacular as those which are given in the natives’ own country, because the Kaffir’s love of display leads him to use brightcoloured football jerseys and ornaments which have no fitting place in a war-dance. Another interesting thing was the perfect sense of rythm manifest in all the proceedings. Most amusin gof all, though, was the attitude of some white people present who. with their half amused, half bored look were saying, “Aren’t they too priceless!” or “Aren’t they queer!” disowning with one flick of a cigarette ash any relationship or ties of ancestry with the Kaffir; but we mustn’t discuss racial questions; at least, “leave it to” the politicians. NEW ZEALAND PARTY I may have mentioned earlier that there is an enthusiastic New Zealand Party in Johannesburg who have prepared a tremendous welcome for us in our visits to the gold city. The chairman of the committee is a Mr. McLeod, of Timaru, who is editor of the “Rand Daily Mail.” Anyhow, besides numerous private gatherings, we were given a theatre night and a garden party during our last visit. Both of these functions were very enjoyable and spontaneous, and we made many friends. The New Zealand people at the first Transvaal match were somewhat crestfallen and uowncast, but were revived again after tho second match a week later, in which we turned the tables in a conincing manner, even if our margin points was not great. I said previously that I was not sure •Uiether the altitude was the trouble n our first match in Johannesburg. It « so difficult to make a definite assertion °f that kind. Yet Transvaal was ‘ , c f arI y the better team in the first tu t ? l h and VVQ were equally as clearly mno? # er ln tlle secont L that one is almost forced to believe that the week’s in addition to the training and consequent undertht of each other’s play, did make me difference. NO FEARS OF SCRUM tho'?* « a . d ’ to °’ shaken off our fears of minscrum, and were deterstand or fall by it, and this "comflS. ! he morale and playing bor^* 01 * of the forwards. I rememter a hint in a Previous letthn K?i. lt * the ‘ lrre &ular” way in which her* ci* * s , put into scrum over nin ' « r , those °f us who have seen chane-rl 11,I 1, that term has now to be son^K d to 'Diegal,” and Mr. Rabenth*’c e re foree in this match, was of 7*-- anie opinion, and he penalised the n* S^ aalers a number of times for it. ne, who is their sc.rum-half, is an artist, and a clever player, and understands the art of putting tho ball in the scrum. Of course the practice of allowing the lalf-back to put the ball in the scrum must lead to infringements, because he must of necessity be in a hurry to get back Devine to his rightful po- . sition at the back, in as , often a s not ho will roll the ball 0 1 one hand while he is actually en( j e way to receive it at the other ha)7 e «* didn t set an e( l ual share of the m , Ironi the set scrums in this ] ln^ Ca ' hut made up for that lack by th work and quick breaking from e side of the scrums. New Zealandf ’ ln comparing the South African fm?* on vvith our own, should not nlav- * ka f in Kruger, who will be ent in all f° ur Tests, our opponaVe a maste r hoolfer, and a lot of to h Baccess es are dut? not so much • mn l6 formation they adopt as to the l- n behind the gun” in the case. fin*^ 6 * mus t bo given his due as the has# fpont row man South Africa has lh lor a long time. You will recollect at our only try was scored not long h_, or ® the end of the game. Yet w© a been attacking consistently for of the time, but that necessary was not quite developed enough

at the time to enable us to get through; but we were getting “football fit,” which is a condition only to be arrived at by playing in the actual games, and we felt that we could give at least a taste of our real form. Tho South African footballer is generally a Dutchman, and I hope to be able, later on, to give you more impressions that we gain about his general style of play. At present it looks as though the attack of most of the teams is not a hard thing to anticipate and deal with, owing to the orthodox style of play adopted. Let there be no misgivings about tho quality of the forward play. New Zealand will need all her scrummaging forwards to play the South Africans at their own game first, and then, with the combined movements and backing-up work with which so many of us are familiar, we should have the advantage.