The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-10-30
THEIR TRANsvAAL CONCESSION

An English Story of Dom PauPs
Shrewdness in a Business Transac-
ton.
An exceedingly curious and interest
| ing story about President Kruger has
been related by a resident of Toronto
who has spent number of years in
South Africa, and is well acquainted
with conditions in that part of the
world. The story was related to him
by one of the principal actors in the
incident, whose name the informant
mentioned, although 1t would not be
judicious to give it publicity. 1t will
| suffice to say that the name was in
| stantly recognized as that of per-
son who is exceedingly well known in
connection with South African affairs.
| 1t may be added that the story SO far
as is known, has not been published
In 1884 Paul Kruger, Jorissen and
two other delegates from the Trains
vaal We're in London negotiating with
Lord Derby the famous London Con-
vention which has been so assiduous-
ly canvassed and quoted of late. No
one has ever. accused the burghers of
the Transvaal of ching an especially
dociIe set, and during the absence of
the not infrequent civic connections
took place at home. Not particularly
important in itself, it had the dis
agreeable effect of stopping supplies
for the country's quartette OF diplo-
mats; and Dom Paul and his friends
found themselves stone broke They
could not pay their hotel bill, and
their circumstances were awkward in
every way.
At this juncture the Englishman APP
peared on the scene. He was staying
in London was familiar with South
Africa and its public men, and knew
the -Transvaal delegates WE'LL He be-
came aware of the scrape in which |
they found themselves. An acute bus
mess man, he Saw an opportunity. 1t !
was before the days of the Witwaters-
rand, and the Transvaal government |
was eking its insufficient income by |
grants Of monopolies and concessions. |
The Englishman had an uncle, veal
thy Yorkshire Woollen manufacturer. |
Ehlisting his uncle's aid, he made a |
proposition to Mr. Kruger The two |
Englishmen would pay the obnoxious |
hotel bill, and would supplement it |
with cash gift of $1,000. In return |
they asked a concession for the monop-
oily Of the wool manufacturing and the |
wool washing of the Transvaal, in
which, it Is to be recolected consid-
cradle flocks of sheep are Kept by the
Beers. Mr.. Kruger thought it over,
and accepted The hotel bill was wip-
ed off the books. The thousand pound
check found it's resting place Thus
provided with the sinewe of war, Kru-
ger and his fellow delegates continued
the negotiations. The London Con-
vention was signed.
The Englshnen went head with ]
their plans, They intended to erect
mill to manufacture certain woollen
goods that would find d local market
and to control the export of the sur
plus wool. They were to get a GER
tain tract of land rs acres in extent.
The City of Johannesburg to-day
stands upon that tract They bought
their machinery and were ready to
ship it.. just then they mentioned their
good bargain to q friend who was an
official in the Colonial Office
AS an official" observed that friend.
my. mouth is closed. But, speaking *
Is friend-don't ship that machinery
Until the concession is ratified by the
Volksraad'
Second thoughts prevailed. The En-
slishmen waited The Volksraad met, t
md President Kruger submitted the |
concession to them exhibit {
ng no warmth in it's advocacy. The i
Folksraad threw it out summarily. The c
were glad that they had G
lot shipped that machinery.
Then the EppJicl,,ap
resident Kruger the question of that Y
thousand pounds and that hotel bill. t
'he president was as suave as Dom =
Paul ever is. Those sums, he explain a
d, were to be charged against the re- +
ublic. AS Stephanus Johannes Paul h
IS Kruger he had nothing 20 DO win =
he matter
Neither, it seems, had the republic, n
or the Engishmen are still minus Ii
heir little investment.-From the Tor a
INTO Globe - 9