FIVE YEARS IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81851, 26 September 1906, Page 4

FIVE YEARS IN SOUTH AFRICA.

ANEW ZEALANDER'S EXPERI KNI'KS. THE FARMING INDUSTRY. • NO PLACE FOR A POOR MAN.' After spending five years in the Mylstroom district, South Africa, in partnership with two oilier New Zeaianders, Mr R. Mt'rrditii, a member of the Sixth Contingent, and a son of the ex-Member for Ashley, has just returned to Dunedin. As most of his time was spent in fanning, Mr Meredith is in a position to give a very good idea of its prospects in South Africa. Interviewed by a "Star" reporter, he said: —"There is only one class that is successful, and that is the sheep former. The scab disease is still very much in evidence. I con sider the best pan of the Transvaal for sheep-farming is Standerton, Heidelberg and \Yakerstroom. The Orange River Colony is also very well adapted for sheep, but the laws make it bard for the farmer. The inspect ors have power to make you dip your sheep when and where they like, and dipping in the winter is very detrimental. The three above-named dis I tricts are also good ones for cattie farming and crops grow very well there. I had to give up farming within the last three years because 1 could not make it pay. They have their bad seasons there. The rains, perhaps, will not come early enough to start the crop growing, and as for maize growing the frost kills the maize. Sometimes the frosts come in March and at other times not until the end of May. The seasons now 1 and again are all right for growing , oats, but the crops are very liable to rust."

Asked regarding the conditions in South Africa at the present time and how the capitalist stood with people, Mr Meredith said:—"South Africa is no' place for the working man. I should advise no man to go there unless he has money. It is impossible to get a job in Johannesburg. There are thousands of men out of work. The big mistake that has been made has been in throwing South Africa open to everyone when one has to compete with ail sorts. I signed the petition for the introduction of the Chinese because it distinctly stated that by the introduction of them there would be from three to four times more white men employed in the mines than before. This has turned out since to be a'l wrong. A lot of the Chinese are artisans, though they are not supposed to be. and they work at from 1 to 1/6 a day. "The idea of the capitalist is to keep as many white men out of the country as possible, for the simple reason that they know from the way things are that sooner or later the white man will co-operate with the Boer and outvote them. There never was more gold turned ;oiit of the, mines than at the present day, and there was never more poverty. The mine-owners have offered white mm 5 a day to work in the nvnes, but they cannot buy even food for that. The Boer is dead against the capitalist. Wages were very good when the Boer was in power, the late President, Paul Kruger, being a strong advocate for working the mines for the benefit of the people/' Mr Meredith concluded by saying that riots were going on in Cape town, because one could not get work.