AFRICA AND THE WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 December 1916, Page 6

AFRICA AND THE WAR.

THE POLITICAL SITUATION, ! ! DEATH OF EX-PRESIDENT STEYN. Interesting sidelights on the political situation in South Africa and South Africa's attitude towards the way were revealed in a lm-id manner by Mr. Dewdney W. Drew, a member of tlie Legislative Assembly of South Africa, who is at present visiting his father, tlie Rev, Wm. Drew, of New Plymouth, in the course of an interview with tlie News. Mr. Drew referred to the death of ex'■Prcsident Steyn, whom he knew very well, and said that at the conclusion of the Boer war, Mr. Steyn, as President of the Orange Free State, and one of the most prominent of Britain's adversaries, was greatly mollified by the action of the British Government in redeeming faithfully the promises made at Vereeniging when the terms of peace were settled. At the conclusion of the war President Steyn was attacked with ptomaine poisoning, which permanently injured him. He was taken aboard a ship in an almost lifeless condition, and was sent to Holland. The efforts of the specialist who attended him resulted in prolonging his life for l'-t years. The poisoning left the late President in a paralysed state, but during the long period of physioal suffering 'he maintained to the fullest extent his mental capacities. He maile a number of speeches after his return to Africa, and in these he displayed considerable oratorical power. During his career, ex-President Steyn was a great leader of the Africander people, and became the legatee of the influence wielded by the late Mr. Hofmeyr and President Kruger. Much was done by Steyn and Hofmeyr to reco'-'k' the Africanders to their new eondi' and to consolidate the new-found u. .1. Hofmeyr was as friendly to the Br.tish as Kruger was unfriendly. He, though a Dutchman, was the first statesman of the Empire to advocate the closer union of all the British colonies and possessions by means of a common tariff. THE RECENT REBELLION*.

Many people thought that. Mr. Steyn •was in sympathy with the recent rebellion, Mr. Drew proceeded. That suspicion arose owing to the fact that leaders of- the rebellion were known to be in personal touch with him. Mr. Drew said he was convinced from what he knew of Mr. .Stevn that lie could have known nothing about the rebellion beforehand, and that he was never at any time in sympathy u'itji the outbreak. It had also been said that General Hertzog, the political leader of the disaffected party, was at the bottom of the rebellion but of this there was no evidence beforehand. Investigations by a Select Parliamentary Committee revealed the, fact that the revolt was not in the first instance a revolt against the British flag, but was a faction fight between two political parties. General Botha had put General Ilertzog out of the Cabinet liecause of the hitter's strong anti-British speeches. The rebellion had its root in jire treachery of Commandant Maritz. an officer who was placed in charge of the defence contingent on the bordei. He took his force over into German territory and espoused the cause of the Ring's enemies. General Hcrtzog acted in collusion with General Beyer in the Transvaal and the latter expiated Ills disloyalty by drowning in the Vaal River. The rising in the Orange Free State had its origin in the opposition of, the Free State Boers to the expedition against the Germans in 'German West Africa. The Boers declared they were willing to defend the Union if attacked, but they objected to being commandeered for action against the German people, for whom they had a friendly regard. Moreover, many irreconcilable Boers had left the Free State to live in German territory, and the Africanders were not prepared to fight against their own people. General Botha replied to those arguments that it was impossible for any part of the Empire to be neutral when Britain was at war, and that it was the duty of Africanders to proceed against the King's enemies in Africa. The 'Premier reminded the recalcitrants that Britain had redeemed her pledges at Verecniging.

The late Genera! (le Wet, the- most prominent of the rebels, was undoubtedly influenced by personal feelings against General Botha, whom he eould not forgive for dismissing his friend, General Hertzog. U was under his persona! influence that the Free State Boers went into rebellion. It sounds a parado-:, but it was nevertheless a fact, that no member of any Africander Government ever treated the British section with more fairness or friendliness than did General De Wet as Minister of Agriculture in the Free State. His manoeuvres ill til? field during the rebellion were as skilful as in the'previous wa>. He threw the loyal Boer commanders off his track tim-- after time and would undoubtedly have got away to German territory had the motor cars from Johannesburg not headed him off. He had not reckoned with the motors these having never before been employed in war.

GENERAL BOTHA'S POSITION" As the result of his action regarding German tVcst Africa General Botha- had lost the confidence of t'lie .jeople. He was governing the country with the assistance of the Unionist party, which was much the same as the Liberal party in Australia or New Zealand. Racial feeling still influenced politics in South Africa, there 'being about 700,000 Dutch-speak-ing people and 000,000 people who spoke the English tongue. The Dutch were in the majority in the country districts, and were multiplying more rapidly than the British. As the result of the war, .t seemed likely that German West Africa and other northern territory would be added to the Union. Dutch volunteers who were to-day pa.rt of the British forces operating against the Germans made no secret that their motive was It 6 obtain moie room for the growth of the Africander nation. There, was a gjirty in South Africa who wished that Shodesia should also be included in the union. RHODESIA'S PATRIOTISM.

• Mr. Drew said no British community was more enthusiastic in Britain's cause than Rhodesia, and in proportion to its size it had contributed more men tlmn any other part of the Empire. It was almost depleted of young men. If Rhodesia were added to the Union, it was questionable whether she would be able to put more than three representatives in the Union Parliament of 130 members. The British section desired that the territories that would probably be added as the result of the war should undergo a Crown Colony probation. This arrangement would give the British and Dutch ijttkrs opportunity to

fettle on the land, i whereas if the new country were added to tile Union no assistance would be given to British immigration. The Dutch sot- > tiers would receivo ,free land and financial assistance which would largely be derived from the taxation 6f the British population. ASPIRATIONS OF THE DUTCH.

It must be remembered, said Mr. | Drew, that a large section of the Dutch population in Africa hoped that the war would end in the exhaustion of both the Allies and the Central Powers. Relying on their increasing numbers -the Africanders were looking forward to the day when the British element would be assimilated to the Africander type. Some of them looked forward to the establishment of an independent state with . a destiny quite distinct from that of the British Empire. The Africanders as a whole were partial neither to the British nor to th* Germans. DEBT OWED TO GENERAL BOTHA.

In concluding., the interview, Mr. Drew said: "Britons outside South Africa can hardy over-estimate the debt which is owed to General Botha by the Empire. There existed too much reason to fear that the rebellion would have spread more or less throughout the country, but for the prompt measures which, assisted by General Smith, he took to suppress it. General Botha is a humane man, though a splendid soldier, and it was most painful to him to have ito shoot down his own people, led in some cases J>y his old friends and comrades. English South Africans feel grateful to him ffr the unflinching way in\which he drdi.his duty, and hope the bulk of the Dutfeh-speaking people will yet see his action in the right light." 10UTH AFRICA'S SHARE.

South Africa had hardly been given credit it had done in connection with the war. About 40,000 men, half of whom, were British, were engaged in German West Africa, while a brigade, and a. heavy artillery corps had been sent to the Western front. Of this section 05 per cent, were British. Perhaps no other overseas part of the Empire had contributed so many men to the regiments of Britain. Thousands had gone to England privately and enlisted. A defence officer was lately sent by the Government 'on a tour of enquiry throughout the Union, his object being to ascertain the number of South Africans of military age who could still go to the front. He came back and reported that as far as the British section was concerned, the recruiting reservoir was pretty , well exhausted. The one exception was Durban, a watering place, which at the time of the officer's visit was thronged with holiday makers.

THE RACIAL 'PROBLEM. One. of the greatest difficulties with which South Africa was faced at the present time, said Mr. Drew, was the racial problem. There were 100,000 Indian coolies in Nat,al, and they outnumbered the whites of the province by two ,to one. They were increasing at a greater ratio than were the white people. The coolies were engaged in gardening and in working on tlie estates of the sfigar planters. Many of them possessed small holdings of their own. The trading element was strong among them, and in some country towns they had ousted the white merchant.

In reply to a query, Mr, Drew said tlie last of the Chinese mirie workers were repatriated . six years ago, and that the mines oii the Rand were now being worked by the native labor of the country. PROGRESS IN THE COLONIES.

In conclusion, Mr. Drew said he represented Germiston, one of the largest towns in the Transvaal, in the Union Parliament. The town lay contiguous to Johannesburg. The. people of Johannesburg were very democratic, and were greatly interested in the social experiments made in Australia and New Zealand. The speaker said he found this country far ahead of South Africa in constructive polities. It was astonishing to see the extent to which labor, was supplemented by machinery, especially on the land. The dairying in New Zealand suggested lessons* which the farmers of South Africa might well profit by. f