The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-19
NEW ERA IN SOUTH AFRICA |Marked by Opening of the
 Parliament MAY ABOLISH POLL TAX To Apply Onb to White Residents
 of Dependany. Germans are shSwing Detsrminatien ts Put Down All Lawlessaess in southwestern HoIdinEs-
 Murders by Hettentots
 te Be Investigated.
ny T. N .EGAN.


 Cape Town, Dec. 1e.--Evfdently no effort Is to be spared to render the cell ebrations in connection with the open- ing of the first Union Parliament wor- thy of an event which will mark the beginning of a new era in South Ar rica. Details are published of an elab- crate scheme prepared by the Town Clerk of Cape Town. The main fea- ture is a South African historical pa- geant. illustrative of the Portuguese, Dutch and British periods. each of which is rich in picturesque incidents. Among the scenes and events which 1t Is proposed to depict are the Court of King John of Portugal, showing the King commanding Bartholomew Dias to sail south until he should reach India: Dias setting forth on his voy- age with two ships; his erection Of a cross on Santa Cruz. Algoa Bay, and his return to Portugal with the news of the discovery of the Cape of Storms. In the Dutch section the representa- tions would include the landing of Van Riebeek, the building of the cas- tie. the arrival of orphans from Rot terdam, and the Dutch country dances of the period of Van der Stei.
 The governments of Portugal and Holland have been asked to assist by lending armor. costumes. etc, pertain ing to the respective periods. As re- gards the general festivities tn con nection with the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Town clesk suggests the organization of a gala week and the general decoration and illumination of the city. It is. of course. expected that there will be a naval display in Table Bay, and 1t Is proposed to ascertain, through the for eign consuls, whether other countries would care to send ships to take part in the festivities.
 Since union is now an accomplished fact, pressure Is being brought to bear on the Natal Government to abolish the income, land and poll taxes at pres ent levied In that colony. The view taken by the would-be abofitionists Is that revenue is growing so rapidly that there Is every justification for believ- ing that the ordinary sources of h. come will cover expenditure. It is also | feared that if the existing direct taxes are retained there is likely to be e surplus, which will promptly be appro- priated after May 31 next for the pur- poses of the Union Treasury .and that Natal will meanwhile have to pay the | additional taxation until such time ai | the Union Parliament decides upon uni form taxation throughout the sub' continent
 The Prime Minister has given an fasiraiiee that 1t IS not the intention oi the Government to allow the Colony to be subject to any taxation not ab- solutely necessary for the purpose of making revenue and expenditure meet on the day that union takes place. This decoration. however. is not regarded as sufficiently explicit.
 Abolish Poll Tax.
 At a recent public meeting 1t was suggested that the poll tax should be abolished in the case of the whites and retained for the natives. While agTee- ing that the more hopeful outlook jus tifies some reduction of taxation, the "Times of Natal" cannot possibly ap- prove of this proposal It points out that there Is at present In the Colony the curious anomaly that Europeans with large assets. and living on a fair ly lavish scale. contribute no more in direct taxes than one of their own kitchen Kaffirs, and considerably less than some Of their salaried employees.
 By far the greater, proportion of rev- enuess derived from direct taxes comes from the natives. In the journals opinion, 6 legitimate argument in fa- vor of the Natal deficit being passed on to the union Is that Natal, alone of South African colonies, contributed to the cost of the war, and the amount of her contributions, direct and indi- rect. was nearly double the amount f her present deficit.
 From 6 recent discussion in the House of Assembly at Bloemfontaine. II appears that the use of the cat O.