The Daily News. MONDAY, APRIL 11. SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 360, 11 April 1910, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, APRIL 11. SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.

Blood is thicker than water, and the fact that the Dutch element is politically *tnd sentimentally the stronger in the British South African colonies, is the reason why South Africa is a most in- i ,teresting Imperial study. Dutch South' 1 Africa was won by unparalleled sacrifice, and immediate difficulties with the con- [ quered race were temporarily healed by generous treatment. The Dutch were duly grateful for the fairness with which | .their petitions were heard, and their great leaders, whose influence is very •wide, practically ordered them to settle •flown in fraternity with the conquering race. Under provisional military government, and subsequently under the influence of British officialdom, it seemed that the dominant factor had become British. A huge British military police force were practically the arbiters of the colonies. It has long since been disbanded. While the great leaders were apparently working for complete union, their instincts were naturally wholly Dutch. The trend of public opinion was shown by the fact that General Louis Botha, the gallant soldier who had' valiantly fought for his country against the Empire, was made Premier of a British country. Diplomatically, nothing ever happened that seemed to make for union f races so truly as this. Botha's immense influence, on the surface, was in the direction of entire forgetfulness of past events. At the moment the intellectual Dntch element is politically and socially stronger than it was before the war; the real backbone of the country, the ignorant Boer fanner, is still as Dutch as ever Jie was, and, in innumerable cases, refuses to even speak the language of the apparently dominant race. His leaders have told him that education is the only method of obtaining the best benefits for his children, and so it is discovered that the children of Dutch farmers are frequently brilliant scholars. An English education does not Anglicise a Dutch Afrikander, but he frequently marries an English woman. The point is that he does not become English in his sentiments—his wife becomes Dutch. The Dutch, because they are politically the stronger in South Africa, insist oil the teaching of Dutch in the schools. All Englishmen in South Africa find it necessary to learn Dutch or to understand the Taal, and these facts in themselves very much strengthen the dominancy of the ex-owriers of the country. It is unusual now to find a predominancy of British officials in any office in either one of the African colonies. Great retrenchments were made, and, in the majority of cases, the retrenchments were of Britishers. Dutch officials who had been removed from their places were reinstated, until now the ascendancy everywhere is distinctly Dutch. Generally speaking, the outsider seems to view .South Africa as merely a mining country. Nearly all the information sent abroad is about the Rand mines. The mines caused the trouble, and the essential feature of the country, its agriculture, was, and is overlooked. The idea that the whole of the labor difficulties of the colonies can be overcome by obtaining sufficient brawn to run the Rand mines is an absurdity. The future of the country lies in the use of the magnificent areas of land that are waiting for the plough. The news that 60,000 Zulus will be asked to work in the Rand mines is interesting, especially as it was formerly held that the mines could not be properly worked without Chinese. Physically one Zulu is equal to three Chinese coolies, although it is to 'be re-

membered that the Chinese employed on the Rand were selected for their physique, many of them being of great size. The cable tells us that the conditions of the natives are to be improved. The idea- of taking a Zulu from his kraal, teaching him the sins of the white Afrikander, and putting him down a mine or in a guarded compound will not improve him. It will, however, teach him his strength, for he is powerful enough, and in such large numbers as to wield a great influence. The African native willingly works for the "white baas," but having worked for a spell he returns to ma kraal, buys some more wives, and lives the life of a nabob. lie also sows the brands of sin he has learned in the mines and compounds. He and the innumerable Hindoos to be found all over Afric'a, and particularly in Natal, will some day present a problem harder of solution that the race hatred that still exists between the two white elements. As in India, so in Africa; the native listens to the voice of his fellow who jias been educated elsewhere. The ignorant man is most dangerous when he is led by a clevei* confrere. The Natal Zulu trouble of two years ago was caused by American negroes of education. The Indian sedition is the result of the teachings of men schooled on the Western plan. Improving the conditions of natives means undermining the influence of the dominant race. The African native is a marvellously good servant, but "impfove" him and he will not serve.

POWELKA. Powelka is a man with three ribs missing and a weak chest, lie has more or less recovered from an extremely .severe surgical operation, and many thousands of people in and around Palmerston are very frightened of him. He has revolver—perhaps two. Palmerston has had many fires. Palmerston always lias had many fires. At last they have some one to biame—Powelka. Powelka should be captured. Forty or fifty policemen should catch him. The police arc led by the cleverest detective in New Zealand. It is to be hoped that the police will be properly armed —plenty of knives and revolvers, bayonets and ammunition, and warm .woollen undershirts. He does not seem to have fired that revolver yet—this Powelka. But a person (according to a Palmerston paper) who was believed to have been Powelka has been fired by a policeman. If the policeman did not know that it was Powelka, why did he fire? If it were Powelka, why kill him? He hasn't killed anybody, and the surgeons had a terrible job saving his life only a short time ago. No wonder the police want to catch Powelka. They let him go twice. It is a habit with the. New Zealand police to allow the King's guests to quit. They leave doors open, and the guests depart. Archibald McNeil, the habitual, left becausp flip door was open. Powelka is not an habitual criminal. He is a man with a grievance. The police should capture him and listen to whai he lias to say. His remarks about the police and Palmerston would be interesting. Powelka is not Ned Kelly, and he isn't Ellis, and nobody knows whether he is a desperate criminal or just a cranky invalid at large. He isn't even convicted. If constables go around firing at i people on the supposition that they might be unconvicted people who are wanted by the sub-inspector, they may get promotion. If Powelka (supposing that the man seen running up a hill is Powelka) should happen to fire at forty or fifty policemen and should hit anybody, Powelka will be harshly dealt with by the law. If the police shoot Powelka will Palmerston be pleased and the mx I satisfied?