TRANSVAAL 



5864 



TRANSVAAL 



rivaled anywhere else in their great variety of 

 riches. The chief products are gold and dia- 

 monds, in the output of which the province 

 yields to no other region in the world. The 

 production of gold in 1915 was a third of the 

 world's supply, and almost the entire product 

 was mined in the Witwatersrand, near Jo- 

 hannesburg. The diamonds are obtained 

 chiefly in the vicinity of Pretoria, and the an- 

 nual Transvaal product, exceeding $6,000,000 

 in value, is about two-fifths of the total output 

 of the Union of South Africa. Other important 

 mineral products include coal, tin, copper and 

 silver. 



Dr. Gorgas, noted for his work in the im- 

 provement of the living conditions among the 

 laborers in the Panama Canal Zone, was invited 

 to inspect conditions among the gold miners 

 in the "Rand," where the death rate has long 

 been very high, and as a result of his investiga- 

 tion conditions are being much improved. The 

 province has not made great progress in manu- 

 facturing, but there are in operation grain mills, 

 breweries, brick and tile works, pottery works, 

 soap and candle factories, iron and brass 

 foundries, wagon works and various other 

 manufacturing plants. 



Transportation and Commerce. There are over 

 2,360 miles of railroad in the province; Pre- 

 toria and Johannesburg are connected with the 

 chief towns of the Orange Free State, through 

 which passes the trunk line of the Cape-to- 

 Cairo Railway, and a railroad extends to the 

 seaport at Delagoa Bay. The railroads were 

 extended to German Southwest Africa, to aid 

 in the invasion of the German protectorate dur- 

 ing the War of the Nations, and it is now pos- 

 sible to travel without change from Johannes- 

 burg to Walfish Bay on the Atlantic coast. 

 Telegraph lines connect the chief cities with 

 those of the Cape, through which they have 

 communication with the rest of the world. The 

 province exports mining products, wool, tobacco 

 and live stock, and imports manufactured prod- 

 ucts, foodstuffs, clothing and other necessities. 

 During the War of the Nations stringent regu- 

 lations in regard to exporting were enforced. 



Government and History. The executive head 

 of the provincial government is an administra- 

 tor, appointed by the Governor-General of the 

 Union of South Africa for a term of five years. 

 He is assisted by an executive council, or cabi- 

 net, of four members, and presides over the 

 meetings of the provincial legislative council, 

 which consists of thirty-six members elected 

 for three years. ' This council enacts laws rela- 



tive to all local matters of finance, agriculture, 

 improvements and elementary education. 

 Higher education is controlled by the Union 

 Parliament. The province sends eight senators 

 and forty-five representatives to the Union 

 Parliament. 



The history of the Transvaal has its begin- 

 ning in the "Great Trek," or general emigra- 

 tion of Boer settlers from Cape Colony. Thou- 

 sands of these dissatisfied settlers crossed the 

 Vaal in 1848, and in 1852 succeeded in estab- 

 lishing the political independence of the region. 

 It was first called the Transvaal, but in 1858 

 became known as the South African Republic. 

 Trouble with the natives, whom they refused 

 to give fair treatment, and boundary disputes 

 with the English and Portuguese colonies on 

 the east and southwest led the Boers in 1877 

 to appeal to the British authorities for assist- 

 ance, and the Transvaal was annexed to the 

 British domain. . The Boers revolted in 1880 

 and 1881. The British government restored 

 self-government to the republic, restricting the 

 control of external affairs to the British resi- 

 dent, and in 1884 recognized the South African 

 Republic as a state. 



The discovery of diamonds in 1863 and the 

 opening of the gold mines in the Witwaters- 

 rand in 1884 brought large numbers of English 

 immigrants into the colony. The Boers, fearing 

 they would be outnumbered and would lose 

 control of the government, greatly restricted 

 the rights of the English-speaking settlers. 

 The difficulties between these two groups cul- 

 minated in the South African War, which was 

 begun by the Boers in October, 1899. As a 

 result of the defeat of the Boers, the republic 

 was annexed to the British Empire as Transvaal 

 Colony. In 1910 it entered the Union of South 

 Africa under its present name. 



In 1913 and 1914 serious strikes occurred in 

 the gold districts and Johannesburg. To quell 

 the disturbance, martial law was declared, and 

 the strike leaders were seized and deported 

 without trial. Certain economic reforms fol- 

 lowed, including the passage of the Workmen's 

 Compensation and Wage Protection acts. 



The War of the Nations caused a general 

 Boer rebellion throughout the Union, but it 

 was suppressed by the defeat and imprisonment 

 of the leaders. The sinking of the Lusitania in 

 the spring of 1915 aroused an outburst of anti- 

 German feeling, and was followed by serious 

 riots in the city of Johannesburg. The Trans- 

 vaal took an active part in the successful cam- 

 paign against German Southwest Africa and 



