SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTIONS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 138, 20 September 1910, Page 5

SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTIONS

THE FINAL RESULTS. ! BOTHA MAY RESIGN. By Cable.—Presa Association.—Copyright Capetown, September 18. The final results of the election give the following figures:— Nationalists 67 Unionists 37 Laborite . 4 Independents 13 Total 121 There are many rumors that Mr. Botha intends to resign. BOER EXTREMISTS. "IF BOTHA RESIGNS." Received September 19, 10.20 p.m. London, September 19. Reuter's Pretoria correspondent reports that the current crisis originated through the Boer extremists urging that defeat would show conciliation had failed, and another premier ought to be given an opportunity of governing, with Smuts and Botha as pupils and as unofficial support. Another section of Nationalists insist that the defeats were due to men who will have sole control if Botha resigns. Cabinet meets on Tuesday, and the Unionists suggest that General Botha should invite Dr. Jameson to reconstruct the Ministry. BOTHA'S POLICY. SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL PARTY. Speaking at Pretoria on June 14, General Botha made a declaration of policy. He said the time for silence had passed. There was no other way possible than to form a Government from the Governments already existing. Other steps would have ibeen most fatal to South Africa. Experience had shown that a coalition was the weakest form of Government, and was only practicable when other ways were impossible. The Premier said he appreciated Dr. Jameson's object of continuing in the spirit of the Convention. He thought the time had come for starting,a clean sheet. He hoped that the old! party organisations, especially his own, would be dissolved and amalgamate into a great party, both broad and wide principles, named the South African National Party. General Botha then read a mariifesto dwelling on the varied questions confronting the Government. Foremost among these was the task of welding the different races into one great people, recognising that parties should be formed on principles. A party should do its utmost to promote the spirit of union, applying this sympathetic treatment to natives and coltfred "persons. It should also aim at the encouragement of the white population, the prevention of Asiatic immigration, a broad educational policy, while bearing in mind the needs of workers to defence, the development of industries and the duty of the Empire in regard and mining, land settlement, the encouragement of capital, and the opening up of foreign markets. That was a programme on which there could be no sections. The protection of the British flag was of the greatest importance, and the ties with the Mother Country must be strengthened. General Botha proceeded to detail the Government's policy of internal development, remarking that the education policy must be acceptable to all. He appealed to all to help in preventing South Africa from falling back into narrow-mindedness; anyone who dared to call from Death's Valley the skeleton of the unhappy past would be the enemy of South Africa and a greater enemy of the Empire. ! ' HERTZOGISM. DUTCH AND ENGLISH. At a Tecent meeting at Johannesburg, the speakers warned their hearers against "Hertzogism," maintaining that it threatened to spread everywhere if unchecked, which would mean the enforcing of the Dutch language, not only in the 'Free State, but throughout South Africa, in Union as well as in provincial affairs. "Questioned in June last regarding the policy of General Hertzog, constituting Dutch and English as compulsory dual media of instruction, General Botha said: "We are in favor of teaching 'the child through the medium of its mother tongue as far as possible, and of carrying out this principle even at greater expense to the State." ■ _