TRANSVAAL ELECTIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81918, 2 March 1907, Page 4

TRANSVAAL ELECTIONS.

TILE BOER MINISTKV. li' Router is correct the Hct Vo!U will form a Min.stry qif tl mt organ satton's own bat, without a coaiil on with -he Nationalist Party. All the predicted Ministers are'Afr.cau-born, except Mr Hull, who is an EngS.shuiau. Ccncral Louis Rot ha has stood m the forefront of the Boer cau.ro since Ihe war. He was born in the Transvaal in 1803, and was a member of the Transvaal's lirst Volksnud, in nhch lie represented Vryhe d, where he resides. He acted a., veldt-cornet for thai district at the beginning of Hitwar, an.l .-übsc.jucnlly succicdcd (jeneral Joubert as Commander-in-Chief of the Boer forces, which he commanded at the biutic of Colciiso and during the rest of thenar. Some days ago Ceneral Botha's recent policy'of moderation and conciliation culminated in a .-pecch in which he declared that tinBritish Hag was the Boer Hag, and that "British supremacy is safer in the hands of the Boers than in the hands of cosmopolitan cap.lulisl-," At the present -time, tieneral Botha said that he entertained no hostility towards the mines. The talk about wholesale repatriation of Chinese is nonsense. Nothing w.li be done to embarrass the mines regarding unskilled labour." Ifßenter is right, it would seem to be in pursuance of his pol.ev of conciliating the mines that Ccitcrai Botha has looked after mining interest., ill the forecasted Cabinet. licuerai Botha has accepted English as .- compulsory language. Mr Smuts is a Boer, and a prominent barrister in Pretoria. He went to Elngland last July, and, it was sa'd endeavoured to drive a bargain with the financial houses. That attempt failed.

-Mr 11. P. Cullinuu is perhaps best known to the outside world through the medium of the famous "Cullman diamond/' of 3118 carats, winch was discovered at the Premier Mine, J'retolrja, and; was jrejboried ,bv cable on 31st January, 100.").' The stone was valued at i £1,000,000. although the valuers stated that its value largely depended on the purse of a possible purchaser. it is lodged in the Bank of England, and was uaunV after Mr Cullinan. Me farmed near Pretoria, but after the war sold his farm to the Premier Companv [<« £70,000 and 15,000 fully paid-up XI shares. As those shares rose steadily from par to £l)3 each, it can readily be seen that he is a wealthy man, mill as he derived his wealth from muring, must look on the mines with i kindly eye. As lie has a complete knowledge of the requirements of the country, he may claim special litness lo be Minister of Lauds and Public Works.

Mr IT. 0. Hull is (lie best known solicitor in Johannesburg, and possibly in South Africa, having been concerned in maiiy, and important cases, including the trial of -the member of the Ucfoiiu Club, j n direct antagonism to the Krugcr regime. Ilia opinions appear to have lately veered round somewhat, and it was reported that he had a difference of opinion with the leaders of the Progressive I'arty, with whom, to outward apnear--1111,0, Ins sympathies seemed to lie, until we now iinil him standing in the interests of "Het Yolk." lie, with Mrs Hull, is very popular, and commands a large personal following. As a member of the High Commissioner's late Excutivc Council, he lias had much valuable experience which should now wive him in good stead. He Yillicrs is a common name in South Africa, but we presume this is .Mr 1". J. »e Villicrs (pronounced) de I'ilgi). a sou ol Sir Henry Do Villicrs. Chief Justice of Cape Colony, an old Huguenot family, whose teudenc cs are all lloor. but who are, nevertheless, rigid in their sense of right, and with anj almost inbo.ru knowledge of /jli:i lioman-JJuteli law. on which alino-, ail the laws of the. country are founded. ll;s appointment as Minister of .hi - lice would be vcrv popular with Ilie country o( Het \ oik I'arly. Mr Janic, Hissik is an Afrikander. although be has \cry Liberal Ihilili .eiidenca-, and, like'Mr Cullinan, derived bis weal Hi from minim' |icn.|i. having sold his metalliferous 'hinds to the South African Land and Kxplnriiliou Co., the title of which is familiarly known on the Stock Exchange id London and Johannesburg as *"Un-=-Mk's." These shares caused a liooni in Johannesburg in .Marcii. l'.lli.i. and went in one day from 37/ to 17, being done at £lO 12/(i, and maintained '.heir value for some four or live weeks; their value three weeks ago win li/;!. Mr Hissik, however, to use a liner term, was "slim." and made a fortune. He was distinctly popular in Johannesburg, and, like Jlr Cullinan, must be well inclined to the interests of the mines, and from his experience well versed in the problems which would come- before r» Minister of Mines. «