The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1904-08-16
NATIVE UNREST IN THE TRANS
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@ VAAL. 81.
have made inquiry into the report
as to natives in certain parts of the
country being on the point of rebellion,
and find that there is unfortunately
IS - sab -" t"f' th9S'.
So marked is the change in the atti-
tude of the natives toward the whites
since the far that it has been found
necessary by the authorities thoroughly
to investigate the cause Of their sullen
discomfort, and, those who best know
the natives have no hesitation in
ascribing it to the following reasons:
In the first place, the attention of the
Government has been so fully occupied
by matters affecting the white popula-
tion. such as repatriation for the Beers,
and solution Of the industrial problem
for the British, that 1t has almost en-
tirely neglected the natives. Secondly,
this neglect has led to the reducing or
stultifying Of the power Of the chiefs,
through whom alone is 1t possible to rule
| the natives with any degree of safety.
Thirdly, the teaching and spreading of
certain propaganda by the Ethiopian
Methodist Episcopal Society which en-
Icourages the natives to aspire to not
only equal rights with the white, but to
securing possession Of the country to
the exclusion or subsection of the Euro
pean races.
! One very serious grievance which has
arisen since the war Is in connection
with the recruiting OF native labor for
| the mines. There Is in this regard a
lack of Government supervision which
results in serious individual hardship.
1t appears that the recruiting agent
deals directly with tho chief, who Is
tempted BY the offer OF considerable
sums Of money to order out his men as
he is empowered to do by native law,
whether they wish to work or not.
One consequence Of this is that natives
who have Just returned from working
several months In the mines have been
ordered out to return thither by their
chiefs. Under the existing order as
sanctioned by the Government, certain
persons obtain licenses to collect for the
mines: chiefs are approached In many
instances with q present OF case Of
gin, whisky, or brandy, and bargain
is struck for sohflany boys at Ell or so
per head. Having obtained the labor
from the chief, the agent resells 1t to
the Labor Association Of Johannesburg
at considerable profit.
This is likely to strike one as savoring
even more of slavery than the arrange
ments under which Chinese are being
obtained for the mines. The natives
themselves, having discovered what
their chiefs are doing, are rebeiIing
against the system; ''they are not, ]" they
say, so many goats that they should
be bought and, sold in this way" and
thus the influence and power of the
chiefs are weakened. 1t Is Of course a
profitable business to the chiefs, labor
agents, and the Labor Association at
johannesburg; but 1t is one fraught
with danger to the whole of South
Africa. How profitable it is may be
gathered from the following instance;
A labor agent obtained fifty natives
from chief whom he paid e. per head
for them; two days later he sold them
to another agent for 81 los. per head,
and this purchaser delivered them on
the Rand for double that figure.
1t u.s. think not generally known that
the TransvaaI government is COM
Wandering native labor for public
works. 1t would appear that the
Government is actually opposed to the
principle, but so inconsistent are their
instructions to native commissioners
that while some Of these officers do not
attempt to call out natives through their
chiefs to carry on public works, others
have done and are still doing so.
AS an instance of the Government be-
ing lamentably out of touch with the
natives, it may be stated that the
natives were called upon this year to
pay their taxes before their crops were
reapad: it was of course impossible for
the natives to pay until they had
realized their grain, and because they
could not pay it was deemed advisable
to make show of armed constra bulary
1t was only then that the authorities
discovered the unreasonableness of
their orders.-Johnnesburg Cores