The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-06

gold mines. Kimberley had 2O,O00 before our panic caused the De Beers company to cut down it's labor force, and there are something like 10000 employed in the great diamond mine at Culinan. In all these places the natives are kept in con- pounds or walled inclosures; and as far as those connected with the diamond mines are concerned, they are not allowed to go outside during the terms of their contracts They must buy their food at the company shops; and, although the rates there are low, the companies proba- bly, make profit. Not long ago, at, meeting of the De Beers company, one or the officials stated what had become of the profits made from the compounds that year, saying that $55,00o had gone to the sanatorium s100OO to the library, S15,000 to the town hall, $1O.O00 to the school of mines, and s1o,0O0 to the Kim berley schools None of this money helped the natives from whom it was taken.
 As far as l can see, the natives are fairly well treated by their employers. The several governments try to protect them, and each has it's native labor in speetors, who go through the mines, above and below ground, and report as to the treatment of the negroes. Neverthe- less, the white mine overseer is omnipo- tent, and he can abuse the natives if he II. the underground workings of a mine in which 4OO0 negroes were employed wheth- CT he could punish his men if they did not do as he wished. He replied:
 '"There Is no trouble about that If you want to mash the face of negro down here all that you have to do is to see that you get him alone in one part of the workings. You can then treat him as you will, and if he makes any complaint you can say he assaulted you. The word of the black man is never taken here as against that of the white man, and so we run things about as we please"
 kaffir Lands.
 The Kaffirs own land all over South Af- rica. In many places the land still be- longs to the chiefs, subject to the rights of their tribesmen, and the chief has no right to sell or trade 1t away In southern Rhodesia the native commissioners assign the land for huts and grazing, giving to each kraal so much. When Cecil Rhodes died he ordered that the natives on his farms be undisturbed and large blocks
 of government lands have been set aside for agriculture in different parts of Rho- desia In Natal something like 5000 acres
 were transferred to a trust more than 90 years ago, and this trust was to give all the rents and profits from it to one tribe.
 few years later another native trust was given 100000 acres, and this is still administered for the Kaf1rs of Natal. Within the last few years the native lands have been fenced off from those of the Europeans, and the boundaries be- tween the tribes defined In that colony about one-half of the negroes live in kraals, on private lands, paying from s to $25 per hut to the owners of their farms, which consist of from 1500 to 5000 acres each One of these farms will have group of natives upon it, and the group will be governed by it's hereditary chief or headman. Every kraal will cultivate from five to ten acres Of land, and the remainder is used for grazing in com mon.
 In a kaffir kraal.s
 had a good chance to see something of the wilder Kaffirs during my stay ill Matabeleland and Pechuanaland, and I also met strange tribes who are allied to them in northwestern Rhodesia. Near ly all the natives live in what are known as kraals. These are little mud villages surrounded by mud walls or fences of brush.
 Among the Zulus these kraals are cir cular in shape, with the cattle pen in the center and the huts running around it. In Matabeleland they are somewhat irregular and in other regions they are built like a horseshoe, with a cattle kraa1 near the opening. The cattle are herded during the daytime and are al- ways kept in the kraals at night.
 The kraal usually contains all the