The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-14
BLACK EYE FOR
RAND DISTRICT
Chinese COoIie Labor Did Not
Bring Prosperity to African
Mining Country.
FINANCIAL CRASH AWAITED
eoERS CLAIM PROVIDENCE is
PLAYING JOHN BULL.

johannesburg, Aug 1S.-Amerieans,
gold seekers. Iaborers and soldiers of for
tune are being warned away from the
TransVaaL And in fact the TranSVaal of
today is pretty good country to keep
away from.
Never during the darkest hours of the
BOer government did things appear as
gloomy. To be sure, the Boer govern
ment was largely a government of farm
ers. There were few large cities and the
reigning ruling forces could always be
sure of making a living Indeed the dis
position of President Kruger and his as
soclates was to till the land and let the
British hunt the gold.
With the ending of the BOer war and
With the construction of large sections
of the Cape to Cairo railroad it was
everywhere supposed that South Africa
would enjoy boom unprecedented in the
history of that section of the world. The
pro-Boers, with a religious bent of mind
do not hesitate to assert that God is
Furnishing the British for depriving the
Beers of their liberty The British. at
least that section with a materialistic
turn of mind, say that the hard times
which are now all but running Johannes
burg and which have affected other sec
tons, might have been avoided If the
liberal government of Great Britain had
only kept hands Off-not the Boer ques-
ton, but rather the Chinese situation
For nearly three years now has depres-
sion reiEned in Johannesburg. Only one
more stage is left-a great financial crash
The people have become familiar with the
words stagnatIon' and ruin. They
have grown callOus to insolVencieS and
immenses lists of judgments in the small
Ter civil courts. Debts are too common
TO worry about. Book debts are unsal-
2Dle at any inquire.
Never before has the financial skv of
the Rand been so dark as it is today
A cloud of the deepest pessimism has set
tied over all The gloom is unreleved-
It is difficult to find a single man who
looks forward with confidence or even
hope. Every week retrenchment becomes
more drastic. Every day swells the ranks
of the unemployed. Only the very veal
thiest can obtain credit. and the only for
small amounts
The disappearance Of so many sound
well established firms is significant. In
the main street dozens of shops are emp
". The jewelers. shops, once the pride
of the Rand. are almost all in the hands
of liQuidatOTs.
II is claimed that the recent votes in
the legislative assembly. which as Sir
George FarraT admits. means the end of
Chinese labor. is responsible for the ex-
listing condition of affairs. But that
would be equivalent 10 admitting that
$1,000 Chinese alone stand between the
Rand and ruin. And probably there IS
not a BOeT or BritOn on the Rand who
would go so far as to admit that in the
last analysis.
Last Prop Was Removed.
Undoubtedly the decision of the govern
ment has had a great deal to do with
making bad worse II has removed a last
hone TO which so many chung with such
pathetic confidence People have IN
doubtedly been buOyed up with the as
sertion of the Mining masses that Chinese
Dor spelled prosperity. London capital
lists have undoubtedly continued their sup-
port with the mental reservation that the
final vote for or against the Chinese
would decide their action. If favorable
they would persevere: if unfavorabl
they would cut their losses and get out
of the whole business. ReparatiOn was
To mark the end of perseverance. 1t was
the signal for giving up 1t was regarded
merely as implying a continuation of de
preston Alone il would have worked
mischief. for in shaky community the
withdrawal of any prop is dangerous
Combined with the great strike. it has
undoubtedly been fatal. Nevertheless, the
output has been and still is si0,OOOOOO a
month. There are II 900 natives ready to
take the places of the 1900 served with
would appear as though the decision to
send back the Chinese ought not to have
deepened the depression so terribly.
But reparation is only one of the caus-
Is of the Raids decline. Many there
are who blame the strike. and undoubt-
eddy the strike has had a great deal to
do with il. Just as the Chinese question
has had a great deal to do with it, But
now that things are settling down. it is
recognized that johannesburg has been
overbuilt and overpeopled. Capitalists and
spectators have builded a city for ESQ.,
G0 people. where they should have
planned only a mining camp and good
ola fashioned country or borough seat.
Johannesburg is not and never can be
much more than a mining camp and a
center for the rural districts of the Trans
vaal to shop in. And, of course, mere
mining without manufacturing and ship
ping can hardly build a great city. 1t
was the madness Of the boom which gave
employment to thousands. Today the
boom has ceased and thousands are out
of work, while other thousands have left
the town. Just as al indication of the
fall of values IL is worth mentioning that
in a year the municipal valuation of JO-
hannesburg has Deen reduced by $50, O00.-
069. And it is still sinking.
johannesburg is undoubtedly suffering
the fate which has Overtaken al of the
boom towns of the new countries Of
North and South America. Whether it
will ultimately recover its relative posi-
tion in the world is br the future TO Ge-
eide.