The /?eweiv of Reviews. 



J/in' 10, 1906. 



" How would you describe the mood of the 

 Boers?'' 



" As extremely reasonable. There is not the least 

 intention on their part to be exigent, or to insist 

 upon anything that you have not already promised 

 to give us. There is every desire on our part to 

 co-operate with you, and I am greatly pleased to 

 find so genuine a desire on your part to co-operate 

 with us." 



'■ Where do you look for proof of the sincerity of 

 OUT good feeling ?" 



" We have not far to seek. Honesty, simple 

 honesty, is all we ask. Pay the debts which your 

 own authorities certify are justly due to us, but 

 which Lord Milner left unpaid. Furnish the money 

 required for meeting your legal obligations. Don't 

 insist on the j£3o,ooo,ooo promised by the mine 

 owners, and vou will do more to convince the Boers 

 of your good faith than bv anv other thing vou can 

 do.'" 



" What about the Chinese ?" 



" There also you will find us exceedingly reason- 

 able. We recognise the difficulty of the situation. 

 We protested against the introduction of Chinese. 

 Thev were brought there against our protests. We 

 were not consulted. But there they are. You have 

 made contracts with these men. We do not expect 

 that you will treat the signed contracts as Lord 

 Milner treated the signed notes of British officers 

 acknowledging their indebtedness to those whose 

 cattle thev commandeered and whose property they 



seized. We may wish that you should repatriate 

 them, but we cannot expect you to do it.'' 



■Then what do you think should be done?" 



•• If you police them better — at the cost of their 

 employers — and provide good interpreters and good 

 treatment, we shall manage to sur\ive the temporary 

 infliction without making any upset. We shall be 

 able to deal with the mine-owners." 



■■ I understand.' I said, "" the Chinese are your 

 most valuable asset, from which you can raise poli- 

 tical capital when responsible government is estab- 

 lished." 



■■ We possess other valuable assets. At all events, 

 you will find us very reasonable. If the mine- 

 owners wish to keep the Chinese they will find it 

 useful to make concessions to us in other matters. 

 Hitherto they have never felt compelled to consider 

 our wishes. Now the boot is on the other foot. But 

 we shall not abuse the strength of our position." 



" Then as to the future?" 



" Oh I there are manv questions which it is im- 

 possible to discuss now. What we wish is to have 

 a really representative Chamber, representing the 

 whole countr\-, all the population and all the dis- 

 tricts, not merely the Kand and the mines. We want 

 to cheapen the cost of living. A family can hardly 

 live in the Transvaal under ^.soo per annum. We 

 send nearly eight millions a year abroad to absentee 

 dividend earners. It ought to be possible to shift 

 some of our taxes to shoulders better able to bear 

 thein. We only a.sk for justice, and I am in high 

 hopes that under the new Government w-- shall get 

 it.-' 



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IN NEW ZEA.LAND 

 PROSPERITY. 



HELPS 



(To the Editor.) 



Sir. — The post office t,avinws b.ink figures for 1904 

 of Ashburtou and Port Chalmers, under Xo-license, 

 supply a striking answer to tlie query as to whether 

 Xo-ucense is a benefit to a di.strict. 



In the year under leview the excess of deposits over 

 withdrawals in the whole Duuedin postal district (in 

 which Port Chalmei-s i^ inchuled). amounted to 

 £47,379. In the same period Port Chalmers had an 

 excess of £7757. As the Dunedin district has a popu- 

 lation of about 100,000. and Port Chalmers only about 

 3IX)0. it will thus be seen that a Xo-license population 

 of one-thirtieth had one-sixth of the total savings of 

 the Dunedin postal district. Ashburton provides a 

 still more striking example. The Cliristchurch poetal 

 district withdrew £11.9.5.5 more than was paid in dur- 

 ing 1904, but in the same period Ashburton (which is 

 included in that district l paid in £4324 more than it 

 withdrew. Thus while the whole po-tal district of 

 about 100,000 pei-sons went back in savings £16,279 

 (exclusive of Ashburton). that town with only about 

 4000 population, gained in savings £4324. Thus does 

 No-license prove that the bursting up of a monojwly 

 is " good for the masses." — I am. etc., 



G. B. XlCHOLLS. 



Dunedin. March 23rd. lOlTfi. 



