Iron County register., 1900-02-01
A TRANsvAAL CONCESSION.
Am English Story OF Oom Paul'z
Shrewdness in a Business
Transaction.

/ An exceedingly curious and interest.
| ing story about President Kruger has
been related by 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 it would not be
judicious to give it publicity. 1t will
suffice to say that the name was in
! stantly recognized as that of person
who is exceedingly well known in con-
nection 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 Transvaal
were in London negotiating with Lord
Derby the famous London convention
which has been so assiduously can
| vassed and quoted of late. No one
has ever accused the burghers of the
Transvaa1 of being an especially docile
set, and during the absence of Kruger
and his fellow-leaders one of the not
i1lfrequent civic connections took place
at home. Not particularly important
in itself, it had the disagreeable effect
of stopping supplies for the country's
quartette of diplomats; and Dom Paul
and his friends found themselves stone
broke. They could not pay their ho-
tel bill, and their circumstances were
awkward in every way.
AT this iuncture the Englishman ap-
peared on the scene. He was staying
in London, was familiar with South
Africa and its public men. and knew
the Transvaal delegates well. He be-
came aware of the scrape in which they
found themselves. An acute business
man, he saw an opportunity. 1t was
before the days of the Witwatersrand.
and the Transvaal government was
eking out it's insufficient income by
grants of monopolies and concessions.
The Englishman had an uncle,
wealthy Yorkshire wooden manufac-
turer. Enlisting his uncle's aid, he
made proposition to Mr.. Kruger. The
two Englishmen would pay the obnox-
ious hotel bill, and would supplement
it with cash gift of s 1000. In re-
turn they asked a concession for the
monopoly of the wool manufacturing
and the wool washing of the Transvaal,
in which, it is to be recollected, con-
siderable fiocks of sheep are kept by
the Beers. Mr.. Kruger thought it over,
and accepted. The hotel bill was wiped
off the books. The 1000 check found
its resting place. Thus provided with
the sinews of war, Kruger and his fell
low-delegates continued the negotia-
tions. The London convention was
signed.
The Englishmen went ahead with
their plans. They intended to erect
mill to manufacture certain woolen
goods that would find a local market
and to control the export of the sur
plus wool. They were to get certain
tract of land IS 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 a friend who was an official
in the colonial office.
"As an official" observed that friend,
''my mouth is closed. But, speaking as
a friend-don't ship that machinery
volksTaad.'
Second thoughts prevailed. The Eng
lishmcn waited. The volksraad met,
and President Kruger submitted the
proposed concession to them, exhibit
ing no warmth in its advocacy. The
volksraad threw it out summarily. The
Englishmen were glad that they had
not shipped that machinery.
Then the Englishmen broached to
President Kruger the question of that
6 1000 and that hotel bill. The presi-
dent was as suave as Dom Paul ever is.
Those sums, he explained, were to be
charged against the republic. As
Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger he
had nothing to do with the matter.
Neither, it seems. had the republic,
for the Englishmen are still minus their
little veStment.-Toronto Globe.