Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-08-12

than is generally understood. Besides
the French railroad from the west
coast toward the upper waters Of the
Niger, the Belgian railroad around tn.
rapids Of the Congo and the Portn-
guese railroad i'm Angola, there Ia a
British railroad Of 222 miles In Sierra
Leone one OF 10 miles extending in
land from the gold coast and one Of
1875 miles In Lagos. The Sierra Leone
road cost $20,J76 a mile but the Cold
| Coast road cost as much as $4,000 a
mile. This great cost is explained by
Mr.. +. Shelford in paper read at the
| Royal Colonial institute as due to the
| fact that the lines had been bull,
| through dense tropical forests in the
worst climate in the world. These
conditions involved short tours OF SER
| vice, constant changes Of staff in every
| grade. very heavy rainfall, scarcity and
| inferiority of unskilled labor, landing
difficulties and the necessity. Of carry
| ing on construction entirely from one
base. Further allowance must be
made for the native revOlts and mill
tary operations which have occurred in
each case" The figures include Der
manent bridges, headquarters, rolling
stock, etc. complete. The Congo rail-
road, $50 miles long, cost, ii is noted
$50,544 mile; the Uganda railway
| 5S5 miles in length, cost s46,187 a mile
and the Cape Government railroad,
S50,815 a mile. AS the railways
| extend inland their cost per mile
| decreased. it 81 found owing to
| the better climate and the more
| open country, the greater facilf-
| ties given to the staff to organize the
| machinery Of construction, the in
the native laborers and the existence
OF an established base with quarters
| for the staff, workshops, etc
The entire white population of Brit
ish South Africa is 1,129.000 and is in
creasng at a very satisfactory rate.
There is in every colony a great ex-
cess Of white males. which explains the
fact that white girls who go from Eng
land for service of one kind or another
marry quickly, wives being in great
demand. A cloud that hangs over the
future of South Africa is the great ex-
cess of cOlored over white population.
The kaftirs are multiplying. Some of
the colored natives, such as the Zulus
are full of spirit and capable Of doing a
great deal of mischief. Hitherto they
have had no rallying cry and no con-
cert of action, but recently some coll
ored missionaries from the United
States are said to have been teaching
the natives the doctrine Of africa for
he fri
ing them, ii is said, to oppose the ap-
preparation of the country by the
whites. A certain amount OF unrest
is from time TO time reported from Ma
tai. Swaziland, the Transyaal and Rho
desia. Just what ii means is not
clearly understood. Ii il. however. evil
dent that South Africa has a race
problem comparable in magnitude with
our own. NataTs problem Il further
complicated by the presence ~ a Hin
doc element. which in numbers exceed.
the European element.
The porte at last seems To be making
a positive move toward some reform
OF the tithe system in Macedonia
which has constituted one of the heayi-
est burdens upon that unhappy coun-
Try. IL has Informed the Austrian and
Russian ambassadors I'm Constantine
pie that experiments are 10 BE- made AZ
once IN the Monastin vilayet The abo-
lltion or restriction Of the system OF
tithe-farming was prominent feature
OF the original reform project Of the
TWO powers. A proposition TO bring
about this result was drawn up two 4,
three months ago by the Austrian ana
Russian civil agents. approved bv Hu-
mi Pasha, and forwarded 10 the norta
for confirmation
but a committee sitting in Constant !
inople under the presidency of the min
lister Of justice had prepared another
scheme, and thus the matter was de- I
layed until ii was too late to apply eth |
er scheme in the whole of the three viii !
ayets' as the harvest had already begun
IN many parts. The porte has. how
ever, decided to apply both projects on
small scale Two groups Of five vii |
laSes each have been selected In one
group the tithes will be collected in ac-
corualce with one scheme and in the
other group the second system will be
appiled. Whichever proves the more
successful will be adopted next wear
over the whole empire. The concession
mas given great satisfaction to the Bull
sarlan government, which has been asi-
tating the subject for a long time hut
whether any permanent benefit will be |
reaped remains to be seen.
A matter that is agitating the minds
OF the business community in the
Transvaal is the unprincipled conduct
OF British Indians, who contenting |
themselves with moderate profits and
the most frugal fare, are proving them
selves most formidable competitors of
the white retail traders. In the legisla-
i've council the other day a member
moved that the government be request
ed to prevent the influx of all Asiatics
Chinese laborers-and to re-
strict their trading privileges. Mr.
Duncan. the colonial secretary, begged
him not to raise the question at the
present juncture. Negotiations were
proceeding with the home government,
ne said, and an expression of opinion !
on the part Of the legislative council |