Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/622

 198 STATE PAPEKS— TEANSVAAL. [1899.

take an oath containing words which, as pointed out in Lord Ripon's despatch of October 19, 1894, are offensive to their sentiments, founded on a faulty historical precedent, and, as regards British subjects, super- fluous. They are, as aliens, excluded from sitting upon juries, and are, in respect of the administration of justice, at the mercy of a judicial bench which is bound, under pain of dismissal, to respect as law any resolution of the Volksraad, however hastily taken.

The Out landers, who are, for the most part, British subjects, accustomed to the exercise of full political as well as municipal rights, had, for a long time prior to the disturbances of three years ago, been striving to obtain some amelioration of their condition by means of constitutional agitation, but that agitation had entirely failed to effect its object. Active agitation and passive acquiescence had alike proved ineffectual, and at the end of 1895 the inhabitants of Johannesburg took up arms. At the instance of the High Commissioner these arms were laid down again, and the Republic was spared the horrors of civil war.

At that time President Kruger issued two proclamations. In the first, dated December 30, 1895, he declared that the Government were " still always prepared to consider properly all complaints which may be properly submitted to it, and submit them to the Legislature of the country without delay to be dealt with," and in the second, dated January 10, 1896, in addition to declaring his intention to submit, at the first ordinary session of the Volksraad, a draft law for the appoint- ment of a municipality for Johannesburg, he appealed to the inhabitants of that city to " make it possible for the Government to appear before the Volksraad with the motto * forget and forgive.' "

Her Majesty's Government felt justified in anticipating that practical effect would be given to these conciliatory words of the President, but careful examination of the allegations made by the petitioners, and into the present condition of affairs in the South African Republic, shows that, so far from any substantial measures of reform being passed, the legislation of the past three years and the action of the Executive have, on the whole, had the effect of increasing rather than of removing the causes of complaint.

Dealing first with the system of taxation, her Majesty's Government find that no change of any importance has taken place. A revenue of nearly 4,000,0002. is raised to carry on the administration of a country which is believed to contain less than a quarter of a million white inhabitants. As already pointed out, the revenue is mainly derived from the Outlanders, who have thus to bear a burden of taxation exceeding 16/. a head, a burden probably unparalleled in any other country. M. Rouliot, President of the Chamber of Mines, a gentleman of French nationality, speaking on November 21 last on the subject of a new tax on the gold-mining industry, said : "We are the most heavily taxed community in the world, although we are the one that has the least to say about the use of the funds it contributes."

As to the character of the financial administration, reference may be made to the report of the Inspector of Offices, published in October, 1897, which showed defalcations on the part of officials amounting to