The Washington herald., 1907-11-08
AT THE HOTELS.

H'sldhN Hidoe a great mistake when
she forced the TransyaaI to adopt a con-
stitution which forbIds the importation
Of Chinese laborers.' said W. r. Lance.
Of Johannesburg, a the shorehan last
night
Under the old system Chinaman
was brought 20 the Transvaai under con-
tract 10 labor in the gold mines for a GER
tain period he was 90 get a stipulated
wage, and at the expiration OF the period
for which he had signed. he was forced
70 leave the country. II is imposs{bIs
20 operate the gold mines Of the Trans
vaal with white labor AT a profit. The
ore, in some instances, will yield about
one ounce to the ton. or A little mora
than yl6 but, for the most part. II does
not run over a penny-worth to the ton
or about g.
Al this rate Of production YOU can
readily see that with white labor il viii
not pay 70 operate these mines. and con-
sequently the Transvaal is in a very had
way These Chinese who were brought
INTO the country were treated veil. and
were paid much more than they could
earn in their own country. There was
never question Of Chinese citizenship.
as that was absolutely not thought Of.
Mr. Lance. who is member OF The
Iransvaal Parliament. which SAT for the
first time last June. said thar England
has shown but little consideration for ths
Englishmen who constitute A large nor
ton Of the population Of that south
African state. The Englishmen in the
Iransvaai have paid the price he said
for England's peace with the RCars
concerning the concentration OF the
government Of all the colonies in South
africa under one general government
MI Lance said that there Is little dorbt
that this viii eventually take place.
4 Jnincation, however, VIII. l hope. pre-
vaH, not merely federation. BY that
mean that all the states viii be united
With but one government, and Will nor bs
Duroened' as Canada Is. with separate
governments FOR each province and a cen
tral government in addition.
There are many questions 20 be soIve5
before the colonists in South Africa can
be unified. There are differences In Gus
toms duties, questions Of ports, questions
OF railroad rates and others Of such vital
nature that IL VIII be probably a good
many years before the colonies are made
one"
Regarding the Cape 10 Cairo railroad.
the dream OF the late Cecil Rhodes. Mr..
Lance said that il is slowly being cor
summated. The road IS now built. he said.
70 several hundred miles north Of the
Zambesi River, and viii soon tap a rich
copper district The Cape 10 Cairo rail-
road. he said, viii rot depend on its
through traffic for existence but on the
traffic which viii be thrust upon il by
h-a uor lines 70 the T-oce ord Tr-~rs 60
Mr. Lance said that he believed the
United States could solve the problem Of
cheap and efficient labor on the Panama
Canal by using the contract system in
vogue in the Transvaal before the adOp-
ton OF the present constitution
The Pacific Coast Is Just starting 70
ship its oranges eastward. and the mar
kets of Washington viii soon be filed
with Sacramento Valley fruit" said r.
T. Sawyer. of Sacramento. Cal. last
night. at the New Willard. You have
no idea how prosperous the fruit season
has been in the West this year. The
Sacramento Valley. about 100 miles wide
and go miles long, is practically one
garden All sorts Of fruits OF the citrus
variety are grown there. and all Of them
have done especially well this year I
do not know what the total crop Will be
worth this season. but I believe il VII
far outdistance former years.
The greatest trouble on the Coast at
present is the dearth OF labor. The de-
mand for men OF all kinds. from simple
lsbOrers Up 20 skilled mechanics. IS snor-
nous. With the practical stoppage OF
japanese immigration, do not know
what The West VIII do FOR men Hun
dreds are needed In the fields on the
fruit ranches. and on railroad cOnstruc-
tion work. not 20 mention the work being
carried on in San Francisco
The sentiment against the japanese.
Mr. Sawyer said, has died oUt almost
completely. and most Of the men who
are in a position 10 require the services
OF numbers OF men are much IN favor
Of immigration laws that will permit
large numbers Of OrientaIs 20 come
into the United States.
California. Mr.. Sawyer said. and par
ticularly San Francisco. is 50 busy
cleaning up its own corrupt coterie OF
politicians that IL has little time to
bother with national politics The cleo
tion OF a reform mayor in that city.
viii however. he said. help still further
the campaign for a cleaner city that
has been carried on now for a year or
more.
Regarding candidates for the Repub-
lican nomination for President. Mr.
Sawyer said that very likely President
Roosevelt viii be indorsed by CaIifor-
ria. although those people who do not
like his stand on tE@ japanese question
viii undoubtedly oppose him in the ma
tiOnaI convention.
What Alaska needs a. present" said
D. II. Gary, OF Nome, who was at the s..
James last night, ''is a better understand
ing among the people Of the States as 20
how great her possibilities are Ths
North isn't entirely a country Of gold and
copper and snow. There VIII some day be
a wonderful grain crop come out OF
Alaska. and il will not be many years.
hope.
The first settlers who went 10 Alaska
were out for gold. and when they got
THAI they came back 20 spend il in tho
home country But now, while Of course
the surface has merely been scratched.
s class Of people is slowly going north
which viii live there all the year round.
II used 10 be the correct thing 70 summer
in some Alaskan village. make a mod
crate stake. and then 20 back 10 Seattle
10 spend IL. More people. however. go %
Alaska in the spring each year and stay
right through. These settlers here will
find. as the early fGrJy-niners found IN
California, that money i 20 be made in
other ways than digging it from the
ground. and they will some day produce
a wheat crop tnat will rival that Of any
State in the Union"