The San Francisco call., 1903-09-15
THE WAITING BOER.

FORTUNATE is ii for Joseph Chamberlain that
r by his protective tariff proposals he has been
able TO ix public attention upon his plans as an
imperial statesman and distract it from his failures
Colonial Secretary. The chief work OF his admins
tration OF the Colonial Office has been done in South
Africa, and while the reports from Cape Colony and
johannesburg are contradictory there is a growing
belief in London itself that only the Boers
but the British settlers in the Transvaa dissatisfied
with the situation and more or less discouraged by
the outlook
OF the labor problem good deal has been
ported, and It seems to constitute the most vexatous
OF the difficulties Of the country. Labor is scarcer
than in the days when under the Boer regime the
tives could be forced to work. a report says: For
the twelve months ended on June So 1892 preceding
the outbreak OF the in October of that year, the
value OF the gold produced by the Witwatersrand
mines was a little more than S85,oooooo For the
twelve months ended June so, 1908, the gold product
OF the same district was little than S45ooo,-
600 g The principal factor this limitation
has been the insufficiency of the supply OF native
labcrers The exceeding seriousness OF this matter
appears only in the commercial and industrial
phases OF the question, but also in the whole political
question Upon the successful operation of these
properties there depend the revenues OF the coun-
try. ard, beyond that the fund proposed for the
reconstruction OF the TransvaaL Failure to develop
the mines to the extent OF their capacity gen
era industrial paralysis and default in the
A labor supply is therefore imperative"
While the British are thus struggling and failing
in their efforts to colonze the country with imm-
grants and 10 devise a OF getting abun-
dant supply OF cheap labor the Beers are seemingly
watching the progress OF events with keen eyes wait
ing patiently for the coming OF a time when they can
+1,,- .I,o
Mail recently published letter from correspondent
at johannesburg calling attention the rapidy with
which the Beers being organized into groups un-
der the title and the form OF agricultural associations
lie predicts that sooner later these organizations
viii become political rather than agricultural socie-
ties. and says: Some day strong hand will sweep
them together into political entity, with one
voice one ambition and one solid vote"
He goes on 10 say: There is no man better ca
pabe OF playing the waiting game than the Boer
Not that there anything particularly sinister his
present silence or that i'll will necessary befal when
the silence IS broken-as il will be- He is the man
OF the SOIL he IS live and die on the land
and raise family. For him Europe has no attrac-
tons: he is here to-day and will be here hundred
years hence and he is the who will have TO vote
against us whose only ambition is to save sufficient
money enable return to and live comfortably
nc iesl ol oul uass III ue Hother country ana nat
urally he must win all along the line and, what is
more. II IS perhaps desirable that he should"
The cheering feature in the situation is that
whether or the Bocr is beginning to like the
Briton. the Briton is beginning to understand the
Boer and to sympathize with him. Sharing the diff
cues OF life n the Transvaal the British settler has
learned that in many respects the Beers were right
in the course they pursued before the war and con-
sequently II is quite probable the settlers will even
ualy be able establish firm relations OF friendship
with their former foes. That, however is specula-
ton Of the Ear future At present South Africa is in
a muddle politically. industrially and socially and the
immediate outlook is far from promising