Crisis in South Africa

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 165, 12 January 1914, Page 5

Crisis in South Africa

Probable General Strike Big Army of Burghers Assembled Basutos Rise and Attack Jagersfontesn Some Sharp Fighting

ARREST OF RAILWAYMF.X. FURTHER DEMANDS. DEFENCE FORCE WELL ARMED. ANOTHER DYNAMITE EXPLOSION. Received 11, 5,10 p.m. Pretoria, January 10. Connelly, president of the railwaytnen's executive, Carson, the secretary. and Buckley ; a member, have been imimprisoncd. A quantity of papers were seized- The Wrests made a sensation. The. railwaymen are now advancing other demands besides the reinstatement of the retreneheds, namely, the .-Abolition of piecework, an eight hours' •day, and a standard wage. They liave summoned a meeting for Sunday to consider the matter.

By Cable—Press Association—Copyright

trains driven by officers of the defence faree.

Tim mobilisation, which was conducted without any evidences of panic, is estimated to produce 00,000 men. The Strike Committee of the railwaymen have notified the strikers who are members of Hie defence force that they shonTd report themselves to the authorities if ordered to do so-

| Johannesburg is like a city in a state of sieire. Troopers and infantrymen are | everywhere. Shops and hotels are barricaded, and the public-houses are closed. After a protracted discussion the Trades Federation recommended a general strike, and ordered a ballot of all unions by Tuesday. The mines would practically have ceased work on Monday, wh-itever Hie Federation's decision maybo. The crowd at a strike, meeting prevented the police from arresting Bain, secretary of the Trades Federation. Bain has since remained at the Trades Hall, where iie is protected by a bodyguard.

The Government has not yet prohibited the meeting, but it is believed it •will do so. considering the proclamation Of martial law. .Mason, in his speeches at Johannes'lnirg, declared that the workers were .not afraid of deportation. The workers liail bTains and were in the majority. They could work everything without the capitalistic class. A revolution of workers was inevitable. ' Another speaker said that they must realise this industrial warfare was fighting for l>read and butter and the lives of

I IIASI7TOS RISE. AND ATTACK tIAGERSFOXTEIST. UKATEX OFF BY TUB WHITES. A SFTAItP FIGHT. IU-:iNrt)T!CE.MENTS HURRIED FORWARD. Received 11, 5.3 p.m. London, January 10. Wild rumors arc in circulation to the effect that the natives employed at the •fagersfontein mine have risen. It was at first stated that 50 had been killed. A later mess-age Alleged that !X)0 natives! raided Jagersfontein, and that 500 whites defended the town. Seven natives were killed and 38 wounded. A down whites were injured. Sulieequently (he following message was received, daled Bloemfoutein, 10th: "'All the available, members of the defence force here, and also the available police. Imvi' ln'i-ii ordered to Jagersfontein by »peeial train. '■lt is reported tliat the natives quitted their compound, also that the Europeans haw laagered and asked for help." A me-sage from Capetown, dated Saturday afternoon, stated:

•Citizens. . The defence force consists of picked ■'■• men *ho are well armed.

The Government is confident of being able to dispense with the Imperial

droops. The Federation's funds are insufficient to carry out a general strike successfully.

Poutsima exhorted his hearers to abstain from violence. The Witband collieries have been closed owing to lack of trucks. George Mason, a member of the executive of *tric*'FciTi>ratir>n of Trades, addressing the strikers at Johannesburg. said the Federation did not intend to call out the miners. The latter were 'Hying to avenge the bloodshed in July. Their revenge would come later. He wanted his hearers to be like himself — "Send the King and flag of the country tq„J)fll! They were as good as l the King.'-' A Voice: "Yes, better." A further dynamite explosion took place on the. railway between Johannesburg and Cleveland. The Government is confident of its ability to keep the main line open for the carriage of coal and foodstuffs for tlie Rand. It is couiniand•eci'iug motor-cars, mules and wagons, andestablishing a transport serviceWade, has been imprisoned for 21 days tinder the Peace Preservation Ordinance. The Cape mail train was dynamited »t Witwatcrsrand. The front wheels of the pilot engine were blown off and the permanent way damaged. Nobody was injured.

'•Uia Basntos at the Jagcrsfoiitein mine refined to work, and armed themselves with a variety of implements and attacked the whites, alleging that a white man had kicked a Basil to to death. The white* refuged in a tunnel. The liaMitos wrecked the compound, and took money intended few the payment of the miners' wages. They quilted the compound and proceeded to invade the town. The rcMdents intercepted them, and • sharp light ensued. The farmers of the neighborhood (locked in and diove. off the ISasiiliM.

''Forty members of the Bedfordshire Regiment and i"> Bloemfoim'in. officers witi.'i two maxims hold the town." ■lohaiineM'iirg. January 10.

.Martial law will be proclaimed tomorrow at Watterston. Poutsma has been arrested for seditious utterances, and also Field, assistant secretary of the Railwaymcn'* fc>o' ■Cietj.'.

The women and children at Jagersfontein were thrown into a panic by the attai'!; of tin- llnsntos, and lied to FaHxeiinilh. wlienee armed men galloped and R-nlmvd lo the relief of JagcrsfoutcJu. Received M, 12.2S a.m. Capetown. .January 11. natives wer<- kiWeil at Jogers-font-in.

.MINISTER'S RESIGNATION DEMANDED. TROOPS fiI'A'RDIXG ONE. Received 11, j.lO p.m. Johannesburg, .Januaiy 10. A few trains from Bloemfontcin are 'running. The drivers are under police protection. The worksliips are deserted. 'The strikers have passed a resolution demanding the lion. 11. Burton's resignation and the dismissal of .Mr. Hoy, the general manager of railways. The situation in Xatal is graver. Troops are guarding tho lines. Despite the advice of Gliandi. their leader, the Indians consider the time opportune to renew their passive resistance iiovcment. A FORCE OF 00,000. , .TOIIAXXESIirRi; T.IKE A BESIEGED | CITY. (jEXER.iI, STRIKE PROBABLE. MIXERS COME OCT TO-DAY. Received 12, l-2."."> a.m. Johannesburg. .January 11. ' The citizen defence force is mobilising with' wonderful rapidity, the main body lieing. camped on the Wanderers' cricket goiind, in the centre of the city, and contingents have been posted at strategctic jioints along the entire reef. Deiieral Dc la Rev is commanding ten ;thousanU burghers, including 1000 from -SichWburgv ••-TU* ,3atier, arrived by.

MOVEMENT OF TROOPS. GRAVITY OK THE SITUATION. COVEKVMFXT !N EARNEST. Received (!, g ii p.m. diiliauiir.iU-.rg. January fl. T'.vo niouitcd I'nion regiment* from PotelielViroom. mil! two infantry regiments, have begun their march to the l Rand. The drivers of the trains at PolcheFslroom refused to convey the police to the Rand. The police in Xatal are now entraining to ibe Tr«i:i.iaal. Five hundred mounted rillenien are quartered in (he Pretoria barracks. The del'i'ii.e lore:.' will be mainly employed in pr.ite.diiig the railways. Glcndon. Livingston. Monroe, and other labor orators have been arrested. The Feder.it ion of Trades threatens a genera! strike imbss all are released. iVipetnwn. Jnnnary !1. The Government's energetic action is being interpiei.-d iis meaning that the , Ooveriinienl is eor.vineed it has to face somelhing more iht.n a common strike.

RAILWAYS DISORGANISED. riJM'IRATIOX CONTROLS SITUATION OFFICERS' LEAVE WITHDRAWN. Received 9, 5.5 p.m. Pretoria, January 9. Xiic drivers, shunters, and guards liiuc .-truck, the Transvaal railways bein:: disorganised. Tin' Orangia lines are in much the same condition.

The railways are working iu Natal and Cape Colony. The Trades' Federation again controls the situation.

The Cabinet again considered the situatKM, after which the Hon. .T. U. Smuts (Minister of Justice), and the Right. Hon. 11. Burton (Minister of Railways), left for Johannesburg. Imperial officers' leave has been withdrawn. The swords of the troops will lie used only as a bust resource. Delegates from all parts of the Transvaal are assembling for the Federation of Trades' conference.

RESERVES CALLED ON. .SALE OF ARMS PROHIBITED. POSITION STILL SERIOUS. DYNAMITE ON THE LINE. Pretoria, January 9. The Citizens' Reserves in the Transvaal, which chiefly consist of burghers, have been called out, and the sale of arms prohibited. A committee of public safety has been formed, headed by the Mayor, for the maintenance of order. Wade, a Labor leader, and Cermiston b'"> been arrested for seditious speech. Johannesbug. January 9. All trains have ceased in the Rand, except mail trains. A proclamation has called out the entire citizen- army of the Transvaal on the ground that serious disturbances are anticipated. This force is now guarding the coal stores. All is quiet at the gold mines, but the situation at Bloemfontein is seri-

The men at all Ihe workshops have struck.

Armed police, and a contingent of the defence force are- guarding the station. Only one-fifth of the Durban employees responded to the call. The rest decided to await the result of the ballot. A ganger discovered three, sticks of dynamite detonators on the Luipaardsolei line, just before the arrival of a crowded train from Zeerust.