The Transvaal from Within Part 22

The characteristic trickery and cunning which mark so many of the Boer-Hollander enactments are again apparent here. The proposal is made to appear reasonable, but it is clearly impossible for a child to attain within the time named such proficiency in a foreign language as to be able to receive all instruction in it. The effect and the design are to place English-speaking children at a grave disadvantage compared with Dutch-speaking children; either they would have to devote a great deal more time to the study of Dutch in the first three years so as to be able to receive all instruction in that tongue, or they would suffer in the higher standards through their imperfect knowledge of the medium of instruction. It was not to be supposed that the Uitlanders, after an experience extending over a decade and a half of all sorts of promises, not one of which had been kept in the spirit in which it was intended to be construed, would consent to abandon their scheme at the behest of Dr. Mansvelt and the misguided few who judged his proposals by appearances. President Kruger speaking at Rustenburg as lately as March last laid particular emphasis upon the stipulation in the Law that in the fourth year Dutch should be the sole medium of instruction, and explained that his determination was to make Dutch the dominant language.

In the month of February the Transvaal Government received a dispatch from her Majesty's Government with reference to the dynamite concession. It referred to the announcement already recorded, that in the course of the coming session of the Raad a proposal would be submitted for the extension of the monopoly for fifteen years. Mr. Chamberlain pointed out that her Majesty's Government were advised that the dynamite monopoly in its present form const.i.tutes a breach of the Convention; he expressed the hope that the Transvaal Government might see its way voluntarily either to cancel the monopoly or to so amend it as to make it in the true sense a State monopoly operating for the benefit of the State; and he suggested that in any case no attempt should be made to extend the present concession, as such a proposal would compel her Majesty's Government to take steps which they had hitherto abstained from taking in the hope and belief that the Transvaal Government would itself deal satisfactorily with the matter. It was with this despatch, so to say in his pocket, that the President introduced and endeavoured to force through the Raad the proposal to grant a fifteen years' extension of the monopoly.

That representations had been made by the British Government on the subject of the dynamite monopoly, had been known for some time before the Peace Negotiations (as they have been called) between the Government and the Capitalists were proposed. On February 27{49} Mr. Edouard Lippert, the original dynamite concessionaire, who it was known would receive the further sum of 150,000 if the monopoly remained uncancelled for five years, opened negotiations on behalf of the Government with certain representatives of the capitalist groups on the Rand; and it was immediately seen that the main-one might almost say sole-object of the negotiations was to safeguard the dynamite monopoly. The Government had, in fact, been placed in a very awkward position. One of the excuses for not expropriating the monopoly had been that the State had not been successful in raising a loan. In order to deal with this objection the Chamber of Mines had, in the month of February, 1899, made an offer, guaranteed by all the princ.i.p.al firms on the Rand, to provide the sum of 600,000 to compensate the monopolists for their actual expenditure up to date upon buildings, plant, machinery, &c., so that there should be no semblance of injustice in the treatment meted out to them. The conditions of the offer were that the dynamite monopoly should be cancelled and importation of explosives permitted under an import duty which would give the State a very large revenue at once and which in the course of a few years would provide a sinking fund sufficient to extinguish the loan of 600,000. The offer was so favourable to the State that it placed the Government in a quandary.{50} The att.i.tude of the Volksraad, too, was distinctly hostile to the dynamite monopoly; and on top of all came the representations of the Imperial Government upon the subject. It became necessary to do something to save the threatened 'cornerstone'; hence the Peace negotiations between the Government and the capitalists.

This was another and one of the clearest examples of the 'something for nothing' policy, for it will be observed that of all the things mentioned dynamite alone was the matter to be definitely settled-and that to the satisfaction of Mr. Kruger. Long years of experience had taught the Uitlanders to examine any proposals coming from the Government with the utmost care; and the representatives of the mining industry were soon of one mind in regarding these negotiations as nothing but a trap.

Of the five men who represented the Government, viz., the President, the State Secretary (Mr. Reitz), the State Attorney (Mr. s.m.u.ts), the Foreign Plenipotentiary (Dr. Leyds), and the 'disinterested intermediary,' Mr. Lippert, it was easy enough to account for three. The President had frequently pledged himself to maintain the monopoly, and always referred to it as the corner-stone of the independence. Dr. Leyds had chosen to a.s.sociate himself with the defence of the concessionaires upon all occasions, and had even gone so far, as evidence given at the Industrial Commission showed, as to misrepresent the facts in their defence. The difficulty was how to explain the a.s.sociation of the State Attorney and State Secretary, in whose good intentions and integrity there was a general belief. The solution was to be found in the illusory promises of reform under the heading of franchise and reorganization of the finances and other matters. These proposals, it was believed by Mr. Kruger and his party, would secure the support of the two above-named officials, as well as entice the capitalists into the trap set for them. But there were other points of advantage for Mr. Kruger. The whole scheme was in accordance with the divide et impera policy. The first impression, if the scheme were accepted, would be that the capitalists had secured something for themselves by bartering away the rights of the public; so there would have been a division in Johannesburg. Another effect to be brought about by the proposed action regarding the Indians would have been to divide the Uitlanders from the Imperial Government, and the net result of it all would have been that neither the public nor the capitalists would have got anything but illusory promises and Mr. Kruger would have secured his dynamite; for had he been able to extract from the Industry an expression of approval or acquiescence, it would have given him his majority in the Volksraad in favour of the monopoly.

The following is the correspondence which pa.s.sed:-

JOHANNESBURG, S.A.R., 27th March, 1899.

To the Honourable the State Secretary, Pretoria.

HONOURABLE SIR, Before communicating to you and the representatives of the Government whom we met the expression of our opinion and that of our London friends on the proposals submitted to us by Mr. Lippert on behalf of the Government of the S.A.R., we deem it advisable to recite shortly how we have arrived at the present position.

On the 27th of February Mr. E. Lippert called together Messrs. A. Brakhan, E. Birkenruth, and G. Rouliot, to whom he submitted a certain programme concerning the settlement of some pending questions forming the subject of grave differences between the Government of the S.A.R., on the one part, and the whole Uitlander population and the mining industry on the other part, with a view to ascertain whether these gentlemen were willing to open negotiations on the basis suggested, in order to try to come to a settlement. Upon the affirmative answer of these gentlemen, Mr. Lippert obtained an equal expression of approval from Dr. Leyds, the State Secretary, the State Attorney, and also of President Kruger. The preliminary programme at Mr. Lippert's request was then communicated by cable to our London friends. Upon receipt of a reply to the effect that our London friends were in favour of any arrangement which would produce harmony and secure administrative and financial reform, which was communicated to Mr. E. Lippert, a meeting was arranged with Dr. Leyds, Messrs. Reitz, s.m.u.ts, and Lippert, as representing the Government, on the 9th of March; but as Messrs. Brakhan, Birkenruth, and Rouliot had repeatedly mentioned that they did not consider themselves qualified to discuss matters on behalf of the general body of Uitlanders, and seeing that the programme submitted was to be considered as a whole, and either adopted or rejected as such, therefore it would be necessary to obtain the views, on the franchise question, of prominent citizens more able to express the wishes of Uitlanders on this subject; Mr. Lippert, on behalf of the Government, invited in addition Messrs. Pierce and Pistorious to be present at the meeting.

At this meeting several points were discussed, but as no definite proposal regarding franchise could be submitted, no decision was arrived at, it being made clear, however, that this was only a preliminary conversation with the object of exchanging views, and that in any case the opinion of the Uitlander population, and also that of our friends in Europe, would have to be fully ascertained.

On the 12th instant, at the request of Mr. Lippert, Messrs. Brakhan, Birkenruth, Rouliot, Pierce, Pistorious and Fitzpatrick met, and Mr. Lippert communicated to us the definite proposals of the S.A.R. Government, which were duly cabled the same day to our friends, requesting a reply before the end of the week, as the Government would have to submit the whole matter to the Raad, and we were requested to sign an agreement with the Government, and a declaration binding on ourselves and our London friends.

Their answer, suggesting a further conference with Dr. Leyds in London, was duly communicated to his Honour the State President. His Honour's reply, stating that the exchange of views had better take place here, was communicated to our European friends.

Now they have cabled us a full precis of the proceedings and resolutions pa.s.sed at the meeting held in London on the 16th instant, and the following is therefore the expression of our opinion as well as that of our European friends, upon the subjects which have already been discussed between the representatives of the S.A.R. Government, and ourselves.

It having been stipulated by the Government that the various matters herein dealt with shall be taken as parts of one whole plan, we have bowed to that decision, and we beg now to reply under the various heads on the understanding that no one portion may be judged as apart from the whole.

BEWAARPLAATSEN.

In furtherance of the general settlement, those of us directly concerned in the mining industry would be prepared to recommend a modification of the claims of the surface holder and a final settlement of the question on the lines suggested as preferable to the continued uncertainty, on the understanding that the basis for valuation should be arrived at by fixing, after consultation, a maximum price upon the best situated bewaarplaatsen or water-right, and that the price of all other mining rights under bewaarplaatsen, machine stands or water-rights be valued by competent engineers on the basis and in relation to the above maximum value, taking into consideration the comparative value of the outcrop claims and the diminis.h.i.+ng value in depth; the surface holder having the preferent right to acquire the undermining rights at the price thus arrived at.

FINANCIER AND AUDITOR.

The appointment of a suitable man with efficient control and a.s.sured status would undoubtedly meet one of the most serious of the grievances, and would be universally accepted as satisfactory. The financier, in order to enjoy the confidence of all concerned, and with a view to avoid as far as possible ulterior discussion of his recommendations, should be approved of by some person belonging to a firm of well-known independent standing, such as Lord Rothschild, for instance. The financier to be a member of the Executive Council, and to formulate and approve every scheme of taxation should further or other taxation become necessary.

LOAN.

Any loan offered at reasonable rates and approved by the Finance Minister for the common good would undoubtedly receive our support; we understanding, on the other hand, that no new taxation will be imposed on the general population or the mining industry pending the appointment of the financier.

PRESS AGITATION.

There having been, as far as we know, no organized press agitation, it is impossible for us to deal with this matter, but it is clear that the criticism which has been provoked by a certain condition of affairs here would necessarily cease upon the causes of complaint being removed, and we would be prepared, in case of our coming to a settlement with the Government, to declare that the solution of the questions arrived at meets with our approval as a whole, so as to discourage further agitation in newspapers on these subjects.

POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS.

We shall at all times be willing to publicly discourage and repudiate any political organization having for its object the stirring up of strife or promoting dissension between the different nationalities inhabiting this State, and we would and will in any case do this freely and upon principle, and entirely apart from other considerations connected with this Conference, but it should be clearly understood that this declaration must not be construed as repudiating or deprecating any legitimate representations which the community or any section of them may see fit to make in matters which concern them as inhabitants of this State.

COOLIE QUESTION.

We well appreciate the dangers of uncontrolled, indiscriminate immigration of the lower cla.s.s Indians, Chinese, and other coloured races, and the necessity for provision for sanitary control, and shall be most willing to aid the Government in the above objects; but we consider it impossible for us to intervene in this matter, which is governed by the London Convention with the British Government. We suggest that for the purpose of guarding against the dangers above referred to, this matter be explained to the Imperial Government as part of the whole scheme for the settlement of differences, and claim therefore an especially favourable consideration, for, in the success of this scheme, all who desire peace and prosperity in this country must be deeply concerned and willing to co-operate on generous lines. We suggest that this representation be made in such manner as may be deemed less calculated to provoke unfavourable comment, or offend susceptibilities in any quarter, and that the suggestion be viewed by all parties in its true proportions as one part of the whole scheme of settlement. Unless so viewed we should be unable to put ourselves forward in a matter at issue between the two Governments, nor of course could the proposals of the Government be taken to suggest this.

DYNAMITE.

With the principle of granting a monopoly to individuals, agencies, or corporations it is impossible for us to agree, and whatever arrangement be effected, we should have to make it clear that in this instance we are viewing the question solely as a burden-a tax which the mines are asked to definitely accept in order that an amelioration of the general conditions affecting the whole Uitlander population may be secured.

The difference between the cost at which dynamite could be imported (exclusive of Transvaal duty) and the price we are now compelled to pay amounts to over 600,000 per annum on the present rate of consumption, a sum which will increase steadily and largely in the immediate future.

Whether the mining industry should voluntarily accept such an immense burden as a set-off against terms which, whilst they would doubtless eventually favourably affect the industry, are in their immediate effects designed to satisfy the Uitlander population in their personal rights as distinct from the mining industry as a business, is a matter which would in the first place have to be submitted to the recognized elected representatives of the mining industry, and would in the second place depend upon whether the people in whose interest such sacrifice is required would accept the terms which the Government would be willing to concede as satisfying their reasonable aspirations.

It is also a matter of grave and general concern that a sum so enormous, when compared with the revenue requirements of the State, should be taken annually from the mines with little, if any, benefit to the country, when it might be utilized in part or entirely in supplementing the State revenue, and thus afford relief in other directions to every taxpayer in the country.

Notwithstanding the above considerations, however, we feel that a great monetary sacrifice might be made to secure a peaceful and permanent solution of vexed questions, and that the subject of dynamite should be submitted to the Chamber of Mines and discussed in that spirit.

Whilst we are willing, in order to bring about a general settlement of all pending questions, to recommend such a heavy sacrifice to be made, and adopt the proposal made by the Government, it would be a condition that there shall not be any extension of the concession, and that the terms of the contract shall be rigidly enforced; that the Dynamite Company shall reduce the price of dynamite to 70s. per case, giving to the Government the 5s. per case and the share of the profits to which it is ent.i.tled; and that at the end of the present agency the factory shall be taken over at a valuation which shall not include compensation for goodwill or for loss of future business.

FRANCHISE.

This is the vital point upon which a permanent and peaceful settlement must hinge, and if a satisfactory solution can be arrived at on this point, as well as on the others raised, we shall be prepared to recommend to the Industry to make the sacrifices involved in accepting the Government proposals.

We note that-

(a) the proposals do not include a substantial recognition of past residence;

(b) that the period is seven years;

(c) that it is proposed that those who acquire citizens.h.i.+p under the law, if changed as proposed, shall not have the vote for the office of President, and that the oath of allegiance would be required seven years before the acquisition of limited burgher rights;

(d) that the proposed new law would have to be published for a year and receive the a.s.sent of two-thirds of the enfranchised burghers of the Republic.

Whilst declaring ourselves willing to accept and recommend the acceptance of any fair scheme on const.i.tutional reforms, we consider that such a scheme must first be laid before, and approved by, the unenfranchised community, as the rights, liberties, and privileges of the community would depend absolutely on the nature of the reform.

We have repeated on many occasions that business houses are not qualified to discuss this question on behalf of the general body of Uitlanders, and that we would not presume that we were appointed by the whole community to discuss it on their behalf. It will therefore be necessary to find means to bring the whole question before those directly affected, who are the only ones ent.i.tled to finally dispose of the matter, their acquiescence to the scheme having to be first obtained before we recommend the sacrifices which we contemplate in order to ensure a general permanent and peaceful settlement.

For your guidance we enclose an expression of opinion which has been furnished to us by some of the most prominent Uitlanders, and places before you the views of a very large and influential section of the community.

The above subjects are only those which have been discussed between the Government representatives and ourselves, but, in order to arrive at a final permanent settlement, we think that we ought to endeavour to remove all other causes of disagreement, and treat as well several other important questions left untouched; and we would beg that the Government will take the necessary steps, as far as lies in their power, to a.s.sist the industry by bringing native labourers to the goldfields, and to this end will be willing to confer with the Chamber of Mines as to the best means to be adopted; that the law relating to the sale of intoxicating liquor at present in force shall be maintained and strictly enforced. We may further state that we have every confidence in the probity and honour of the Judges of the S.A.R., and wish to place on record our desire that the independence of the Bench should be a.s.sured and maintained inviolate in the highest interests of all the inhabitants of the Republic.

We enclose copy of the cable which we sent, embodying the proposals of the Government of the S.A.R. as communicated to us by Mr. Lippert, and copy of the precis and resolution pa.s.sed at the meeting held in London, when the above cable was considered.

This letter conveys to you our opinion as well as that of our friends in Europe, and we should be most happy to arrange a meeting with you and any other representatives of the Government to consider and discuss the points contained therein.

We beg to a.s.sure you once more that we, as well as our European friends, are most sincerely desirous to arrive at a satisfactory settlement, securing a peaceful future and promoting the welfare of the country and the people, and trust that you will regard the expression of our opinion in that light.

We remain, honourable Sir, Yours obediently, G. ROULIOT.

H.F.E. PISTORIUS.

E. BIRKENRUTH.

JOHN M. PIERCE.