Evening star., 1925-07-26

There are certain zones where ma
| tives can still live their old life and
white men are not allowed to acquire
| territory. Basutoland is one of these,
but it is full to overflowing. It's
| habitable ground Is the most thickly
populated part of South Africa, with
| AZ native inhabitants to the square
mile 1t is cultivated to the limits
| of possibility, yet just across the Dor
der lie in provocative contrast the
| half-exploited farms of white settlers.
Meanwhile, like all other native tribes
of South Africa, the half million
Basutos are increasing far more rap
| idly than their white masters, with no
outlet for their numbers
White masters" Is the word, for 1t
| cannot be denied that the white popu-
lation of South Africa does regard, the
Bantu race as a natural supply OF
cheap labor. The economic structure
| that has been built up in the country
| is based solely on that arrangement,
| from the Transvaal Chamber or
Mines, which employs 100000 OF them.
down to the smallest white house
| holder who has a single kitchen boy.
The color bar bill," now in commit
tee before the House of Assembly, has
been drafted to legalize and extend
| throughout the union an old rule Oh
the Transvaal mining industry that
| no native shall be employed on skilled
work, so that his wages remain I'M
tied to so cents day.
Meanwhile his standard of living
| has increased to an extent Wnlcn
makes him dependent upon occasional
wage earning Journeys to the Trans
vaal to be able to satisfy his desire
| for wives and clothes.
| What makes the black mans resent
ment against such conditions potential
| ly formidable Is that within the Union
of South Africa itself he and his kind
number 5,400,0 900, compared with l.
| SOC, 900 whites, while il you include
the adjoining native territory or Swazl'
land, Basutoland and Bechuanaland,
together with Rhodesia and South
west Africa, you add another 2,1OO,-
| 600 blacks, but only 81 900 whites.
Race Consciousness Strong.
| So-called class consciousness,
! conception based on unreal founda-
tions, has caused much trouble in Eu-
rope; race consciousness, far more
genuine sentiment. is stronger still.
Color consciousness is the most
! contentious spirit of all. The Bishop
| of ST. Albans, who lately held the See
| OF Pretoria, was right In declaring re-
Gently that the native races of Africa
are banding together in spirit OF
race consciousness considered lmpoS-
| sible a few years ago"
This spirit is spreading, and being
spread Nor is 1t confined to one part
of the African continent. There are
natives in West Africa at the present
time, generally American educated,
who brag that 1t will be their func-
| tion to supply leadership to the primf-
tive tribes of the South when the
| time comes for their struggle against
| the whites.
Thus the field is set for a racial
| trial of strength. What form will the
contest take?
Economic Rivalry Felt.
| Already the economic rivalry of the
two grades of civilization rs felt Sc
verely No white man could hope to
make a living in South Africa by un-
| skilled or semi-skilled labor. The 1920
Memorial Settlers Association, which
aims at the development of the coun-
| try, regards $500 as the minimum
amount with which a single man can
start farming here. The poor whites"
who have nothing but their own labor
| to live by, are in a pitiable condition,
| shut out from all chance of employ
ment by the black man. who can live
| in waffle hut on handful of mealies
| day and is intelligent enough to be
| a good workman under white super
vision.
From economic to physical struggle
| has always been an easy passage.
| No one who visits South Africa with
| his eyes open can avoid reflection on
the possibility of events taking that
course here. In town and country
alike he sees black men outnumbering
| ly, and so far submiSSively, to the role
of hewers of wood and drawers of
water excluded from the franchise ex-
cept in the Cape Province, owning
only per cent of the land in a coun-
| try where they form S5 per cent of
the population, yet gradually being
| imbued, through travel, education,
easy communication and the growth of
a native press, with the belief that
they are an appropriated race.
Would Mean Massacre.
The danger is evident that such a
condition may end in rebellion, and
this, in South Africa, would mean
| nothing less than massacre-first a
massacre of scattered whites by the
outnumbering host of natives that
surrounds them, then a massacre of
half-armed natives by Union troops
with modern weapons.
This sounds like a morbid night
mare, but 1t is one which some of the
most responsible men in the country
seriously discuss as a possible, if re-
mote, development.
Several things are still lacking to
bring South Africas native danger to
head. The black population has no
generally recognized leader; there is
no immediate cause for action, and
they are armed only with primitive
| weapons.
! But the only thing that can secure
South Africa beyond all apprehension
| to the white race is a much greater
rate of increase in it's European popu-
lation. If present conditions continue
| unchecked, 1t is inevitable that either
| by physical or economic pressure the
black peoples of the country will
squeeze out the white, as the growing
cuckoo pushes the smaller nestlings
over the edge.
| Copyright. 1925. in United States and
| Canada by North American Newspaper ALI
| ance: Great Britain. London Daily Mail
South America. United Pressl