778 



SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC. 



from 116,800 in 1896 to 253,800 in 1898, that 

 yielded by the opium farm from 165,600 to 

 190,200, and that of the spirit farm from 165,- 

 600 to 187,800. Customs receipts increased from 

 128,400 to 159,000, and the likin revenue from 

 72,600 to 82,200, notwithstanding the aboli- 

 tion of a large majority of the inland transit 

 duties. There was an increase in the land tax 

 on paddy land from 56,760 to 88,560, and in 

 the revenue from teak from 7,380 to 33,240. 

 The poll tax collected in 1898 was 56,100, hav- 

 ing increased more than threefold. Old debts 

 collected in 1898 amounted to 41,000. Increased 

 expenditure is due chiefly to the reforms in the 

 police and the courts of law, the large increase 

 of European staffs, the cost of the cadastral sur- 

 vey, and a general increase in salaries, especially 

 of the higher officials. The King's civil list, which 

 was formerly 15 per cent, of the gross revenue, 

 has been fixed at 126,000. The Burmese village 

 system has been introduced. 



The Siamese Government with British support 

 is seeking a revision of the commercial treaties 

 that have been in operation for more than forty 

 years. The treaties define 3 per cent, as the 

 highest import duty to be levied on foreign goods, 

 payment of which frees them from all other im- 

 posts of any kind. It is desired also to recon- 

 sider the immunity of taxation enjoyed by for- 

 eigners and the multitude of foreign protiyf*, 

 none of whom can be subjected to any impost, 

 besides the land tax and the import duties, with- 

 out the consent of the foreign consul. The privi- 

 leges of extraterritoriality are extended in Siain 

 to an extraordinary number of persons. 



The Government of Siam has always paid cur- 

 rent expenses and the cost of whatever publ it- 

 works have been constructed till now out of each 

 year's revenue. A foreign loan has been proposed 

 by the present European advisers. The produc- 

 tivity of the country can be increased by means 

 of railroads and irrigation works, especially rice 

 production in the upper valley of the Menam. 

 A system of irrigation canals has been decided 

 upon, and Dutch engineers were sent for to take 

 charge of the construction and management. 



By the treaty of 1893 a zone of 25 kilometres 

 on the right bank of the Mekong was declared 

 neutral. The French have the right to establish 

 stations there, but neither French nor Siamese 

 armed troops are allowed to enter the strip. In the 

 spring of 1899 M. Doumer, Governor of French 

 Indo-China, went to Bangkok, and in a series of 

 conferences with the King and his ministers 

 brought about a better understanding than had 

 existed for years. The King promised to employ 

 a staff of French engineers in the Public Works 

 Department, to attach French advisers to other 

 departments, to have French professors appointed 

 in the colleges, and to have the French language 

 taught in the schools. 



SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC (formerly 

 Transvaal Republic), an independent state in 

 southern Africa, between the Vaal river on 

 the south and the Limpopo on the north, 

 bounded east by Portuguese possessions and 

 west by Bechuanaland. Capital, Pretoria. The 

 legislative powers are vested in the Volks- 

 raad, consisting of 2 chambers, each having 

 27 members elected in as many districts. The 

 members of the First Chamber are elected by 

 burghers of the first class white male citizens 

 who were resident in the Republic previous to 

 1876 or who served the Republic in the war of 

 independence, the Malaboch war, the expedition 

 to Swaziland, or other native wars, or the opera- 

 tions against the Jameson raiders. The sons of 



all such citizens are also first-class burghers from 

 the age of sixteen. The second class of burghers, 

 who are permitted to cast votes for members of 

 the Second Chamber only, consists of naturalized 

 white citizens. An alien may become a natural- 

 ized citizen after two years of residence by 

 inscribing his name on the books of the field 

 cornet and paying a fee of 2. To become eligi- 

 ble to the Second Raad, an alien must have re- 

 sided two more years in the country and must 

 take the oath of allegiance. The sons of natu- 

 ralized burghers must also be naturalized before 

 they are entitled to vote. Naturalized burghers 

 may become first-class burghers after being nat- 

 uralized twelve years; but even then the applica- 

 tion must be signed by two thirds of the burghers 

 .in the district and be approved by a special vote 

 of the First Chamber. No bill passed by the 

 Second Chamber becomes a law until it is ap- 

 proved by the First Chamber. The President and 

 the Commandant General are elected by the votes 

 of the first-class burghers onlv, and the members 

 of the Executive Council by the First Chamber. 



The President of the Republic is Stephanus Jo- 

 hannes Paulus Kruger, elected for his fourth term 

 of five years in February, 1898 (see page 412 

 of this volume). The Vice-President and Com- 

 mandant General was P. J. Joubert; State Secre- 

 tary, F. W. Reitz; Superintendent of Natives, 

 P. A. Cronje; Keeper of the Minutes, J. H. M. 

 Kock: nnnnflirial members of the Executive 

 Council, J. M. A. Wolmarans and S. W. Burger. 



Area and Population. The area of the South 

 African Republic is 110,139 square miles. The 

 population was estimated in 1898 at 1,094,156. of 

 whom 345.397 were whites, comprising 137.M17 

 males and 107,450 females, and 748.759 were col- 

 ored, comprising 148,155 men, 183,280 women, and 

 417,324 children. Pretoria, the capital. ha- ;i 

 population of about 10,000, counting whites only. 

 Johannesburg, the chief town of (lie \\ii\\;it. i- 

 rand, had a population in 1896 of 102,078, of whom 

 79,315 were males and 22,703 females, the total 

 comprising 50,907 whites, 952 Malays, 4.807 In 

 dian coolies and Chinese, 42,533 Kaffirs, and 2,879 

 of mixed race. 



Defense. All the burghers under the age of 

 sixty are liable to be summoned into the field in 

 case of war. The number inscribed on rlie rolls 

 of the field cornets was 26.299 in 1894. Sinn, the 

 Jameson raid of 1890 3 bodies of volunteers have 

 been organized,, numbering 2.000 men. 

 by the Government. The artillery force 

 32 officers, 79 noncommissioned officers, and 289 

 men. 



Finances. The revenue in 1897 amounted to 

 4,480,218, and the expenditure to 4,394,066. 

 Of the revenue, 1,276,319 came from customs, 

 737,366 from the Netherlands Railroad Com- 

 pany, 427,230 from prospecting licenses, 300,- 

 000 'from explosives, 258.396 from stamps, and 

 215,320 from posts and telegraphs. Of the ex- 

 penditures, 1.012,866 were for public wopks, 

 996,960 for salaries, 396,384 for war. 27 1.43.1 

 for the purchase of explosives. The mining com- 

 mission at Johannesburg received 896,044 ;m<l 

 expended 101,369. 



The public debt in September. 1H97. amounted 

 to 2.673.690, including a loan of 2.500,000 ;in<l 

 146.690 due to the British Government. 



Commerce and Production. The Boers de- 

 vote themselves to raising live stock. lut do not 

 till more than 50,000 acres, and are obliged to im- 

 port cereals. The number of farms is 1_'.-J}.">. of 

 which 3,636 belong to the Government, 1.612 are 

 the property of nonresidents, and (1.997 are owned 

 by resident owners and companies. The gold- 



