Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-07-04
been big factor in keeping the gold
stream moving.

been big factor in keeping the gold
stream moving
johannesburg a Fine City.
Much of the tremendous wealth that
has come out of the reef has flowed
abroad, q fact, incidentally, which is
responsible for much of the bitterness
that has existed among the white
miners and the Boer farmers. But
some of the miIlionaires and submit
lionaires have spent lavishly in the
country, and these expenditures, as
well as the millions spent in opera
ton, have enriched johannesburg. Elk
cept1ng two cities near the Mediter-
ranean, which may be considered as
belonging to a separate civilization,
johannesburg is the metropolis of AT
RIGA. 1t has a population of more
than 2S4,0OO, of which more than $780,
600 are white.
1t is city of numerous substantial
buildings, some of them of many
stories, resembling more nearly Amer
lean structures than those of Europe.
Wide asphalt streets, theaters, luxuri-
Gus clubs, and the finest hotel south of
the equator are other features that
go to make "Joburg" an up-to-date,
comfortable city. In the suburbs are
many fine residences; and the country
club will compare favorably with SIM
liar institutions on any of the six
continents. The altitude of more than
a mile above sea level makes the
city healthful and comfortable despite
it's nearness to the tropics
But despite its opUlence Johannes
burg still has some of the earmarks
of mining camp. In the sumptuous
clubs booted prospectors are to be seen
side by side with carefully manicured
financiers. The iron-roofed shack of
the early days has not entirely disap-
peared; gambling bells and grog shops
can be found with ease by miners in
the city to spend their earnings in the
traditional way of the mining camp.
Nor is the city, for all it's public i'm
provements and architecture, entirely
a Twentieth century white mans COM
munity. More than 100000 African
HALVES I'VE W1Luln IT'S 1ILulLS. mOLOI-
cars predominant In the traffic, but
the heavy Boer wagon has not been
thrust entirely out of the picture. And
one can ride over the asphalt-or could
a few years ago-in ''rikisha" drawn
by a feather-bedecked Zulu.
Scene of Much Turbulence.
Turbulence has been the lot Of J0-
hannesburg since its birth in 1885,
and many OF its problems have piv-
oted around the NINE owners and la
borers. The Boer war really grew out of
the discovery of gold on the Rand and
the resulting influx of thousands OF
Englishmen and other "uitlanders."
The ill-starred raid of jameson was
directed against Johannesburg, and at
the same time the city was seized from
within by the British mine operatives.
Just before the outbreak of the World
war there was an uprising of the
white miners around Johannesburg, but
the difficulties were patched up be-
cause of the great conflict.
The obtaining of labor for the Rand
mines has always been problem OF
considerable proportions. With the
mines working at capacity something
over 250,00O workers are needed. The
local negroes preferred work on the
farms and among the live stock Of the
Beers. White men in sufficient num-
bers could not be obtained, nor could
the owners afford to pay exclusively
white mems wages. At one time So
600 Chinese coolies were imported, but
their presence caused much trouble,
and In 1910 the last Of them were re-
patriated. In recent years tens OF
thousands of negroes from Portuguese
East Africa have been brought in to
supplement the local negroes that could
he induced to work, and the 25,OOO
more or less skilled white workers.