The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-11-07

adhsrent of the system. Last ssssion
 he brought In bili for applying pro-
 pcrtiona1 representation to the eiae-
 tion of Town Councillors in Johannes-
 burg and Pretoria. and the measure
 was passed practically without oppo-
 sition. Many of the members of Par liament who voted for it were known
 to have been by no means eager for
 the application of the same principle
 at the elections for the Union Parlia-
 ment, and some had positively well
 comed It's abandonment by the con-
 vention.
 Their willingness to apply 1t in the
 case of the municipalities may be ex- plained perhaps by supposing them to desire that the experiment should be l made on . vile body. Or possibly they held that any change In the present position of better. The last senms a
 harsh saying. and perhaps 1t exagger-
 ates But there is no doubt that. in Jqhannesburg at any rate. the. pro- gress of municipal seif-government has not been altogether satisfactory judged by the popularity of the Town Council or by the esteem in which it Is held. The new system will not be introduced at once. but by ipstai- ments.
 The third annual report of the Com nofttee of Control of the South African
 Central Locust Bureau has been pub iished, The duty of preparing and editing the report fell to MT. Louns- bury. the Cape government entomolo-
 field of the bureaus labors. In l90s-s
 Brftish south Africa was little trou- bied by this persistent pest, and this comparative immunity Mir. Lounsbury has no hesitation in attributing to the vigorous campaign conducted during the previous season against both brown and red locusts. aided by the
 abundance of locust birds. In Cape Colony, however this freedom from
 visitation was short-lived. In March everything seemed to indicate that South Africa was practically rid of
 me brown locust at last, when sud- denly vast swarms swept across the
 orange River and over-ran half the Cape Colony.
 Invasisn Punishne.t.
 No doubt the other colonies which es- capped saw In this invasion punish
 ment Tor the cape's stingy provision for
 locust extermination In the estimates
 Tor the year 190S-9. At all events. the lesson was not lost on the Cape gov
 ernment, and in the estimates for isos-
 10 the small amount of $2.0eo allowed Tor the purpose last year was increased to s15.ooo.
 The swarms which have infested the Cape this year appear to have been pred In an uninhabited desert in North ern Gordonia and the south west corner of Bechuanaland Protectorate. In MT. Lounsbury's opinion 1t is doubtful if reliable information as to the extent
 and intensity of the infestation could have been secured even if the bureau had, suspected that trouble was brew Ing. and, adds the government ento- mologtst. it is inconceivable that the
 invasion could have been prevented by human effort.
 The swarms. says MT. Lounsbury's
 summary. gradually spread over 125,- 900 square miles of territory In the Cape Colony, and laid eggs here and
 there in nearly every district that they have invaded. so that the outlook is for a very severe visitation of yoet- gangers during the coming spring. In
 the circumstances the government will assist the farmers by supplying poison, as was done two years ago. and if the pest Is combatted as energetically as 1t
 was on that occasion. 1t Is not improb- able that with the assistance sure to
 be given by birds, 1t will be practically
 annihilated in the one season. Many people will be interested in the | following conspectus of the big game remaining in South Africa. The num- hers given are approximate, but the es-
 timate is based upon authoritative in- I formation:
 l Biesbok--About 800.
 Bontebok-About 800.
 1 Buffaloes--About 500.
 Elephants--About 200 to 230.
 Gemsbois.Abous,e essbA principally in Bushflnnlai.d and Bechuanaland. -as4 About 100 s.sf' Oribe-A few are, still found in Bath-
 urst division and in East rGrfqualand. D
 Rietbok--About 200 in Komgha di- l vision. and about twelve in Kimberley l division. .a
 zebra-aAbout 500. The bulk of thsm are to be found in the divisions of
 Craddock. George. Oudtshoorn and Un-
 iondale. A few roam about in Lady, | smith division. and twenty are report l ed In the Sutherland division. Springbok Being migratory. it is | difficult to estimate the number of
 these. Tn some years they are com
 peiled by drought to invade the Colony l in large troops. They are then seen bury.
 1 Hartebeest--About 1t,2o0, principal
 ly in the divisions of Barkly West.
 Gordonia. Herbert. Kimberly. Mafeking I and vrybprg. v
 Wild ostriches-About 5000 in Na- | maquaiand 1000 in Griquaiand West. | BOO in Prince Albert Division: also | plentiful in the Mafeking district. Elands--A few. about ten, are spe- cialiy bred by a private gentlemen in | Graaff- -Reinet division.
 Wildebeest-About 2.600; these are | found in Bechuanaland and GriquaI- | land West.
 l Special Permit. | A special permit to shoot any of | these varities of big game has to be | obtained from the government: in ad- | dition to the ordinary game license. "South Africa" publishes a sketch of
 a proposed public seal for the govern ment of the Union of South Africa. This sketch was by its designer sub nitted through Sir Henry de Villiers | to a recent meeting of the delegates from South Africa. | The first, second, and third grand ouarters' of the shield contain the | arms of the Cape of Good Hope, Natal. | and the Orange River Colony. In the | last grand quarter" are the, bearings which the designer suggests that the | government of the Transvaal snoulo
 adopt and obtain Royal approval TOT, no arms having yet been formally l granted to this Province by the King | ThInEn Not in the Bible.