Review oj Reviews, :, 10/13. 



PROGRESS OF THE WORLD. 



767 



THE LATE J. W. SAUER. 



Mr. J W. Sauer, the Government has 

 had to be reconstructed for the third 

 time this year. Mr. Sauer and Mr. 

 Merriman were strong supporters of the 

 Boers during the war, although both 

 had held office under Mr. Rhodes. Mr. 

 Sauer was Minister of Justice and 

 Native Affairs in the Botha Govern- 

 ment. His place has been filled by Mr. 

 M. J. de Wet. Sir D. P. de Villiers 

 Graaff has retired because of ill-health. 

 The new Cabinet is not as strong as 

 the last, and looks rather like a stop- 

 gap arrangement. An extraordinary 

 story of the settlement of the strike in' 

 [ohannesburg says that Generals Botha 

 and Schmutz were covered with re- 

 \ olvers by two of the strikers when they 

 stepped on to the balcony of the Carl- 

 ton Hotel to announce the terms of the 

 agreement, and would have both been 

 shot had the troops below been ordered 

 to fire. The miners have not yet 

 settled down quietly under the new ar- 

 rangement, and further trouble seems 

 probable. A Compulsory Registration 

 of Trade Unions Bill is to be intro- 

 duced It precludes the Federation of 

 Trades from interfering in industrial 

 disputes, and provides for a secret 



ballot before the declaration of a strike. 

 A strong demand is being made for the 

 removal of the Immigration restrictions 

 on British subjects from India desiring 

 to enter South Africa. There are some 

 130,000 Indians resident in Xatal, and 

 they contemplate reviving the old 

 policy of passive resistance. 



HOME RULE. 



The chief question agitating Eng- 

 land just now is the attitude of Ulster 

 towards Home Rule. Lord Loreburn 

 has written a strong letter urging the 

 holding of a round table conference on 

 the subject. This stalwart Liberal is a 

 staunch Home Ruler, but he considers 

 that the Government has brought in too' 

 many measures, and that legislation has 

 been altogether too rapid. It is under- 

 stood that this, rather than ill-health, 

 was the cause of his vacating the wool 

 sack. In theory such a Conference is 

 1 lent, but to confer it is necessary 

 for the parties to have some basis for 

 discussion, some hope that settlement 

 will result. The Government is anxious 

 to settle the question by consent, if pos- 

 sible, and would be willing to modify 

 the Bill in certain particulars, but ^here 

 is no hope of similar concession on the 

 part of the Ulstermen. The latter are 

 against an Irish Parliament in any 

 shape or form, the Liberal Government 

 is pledged to create such a Parlia- 

 ment. 



BLUFF? 



Home Rule, say many, ought to be 

 made a direct issue at a general elec- 

 tion. But what would happen if the 

 electors of Great Britain gave a man 

 date in its favour? Ulster would not 

 agree any more than at present. Mr. 

 Asquith, asked Sir Edward Carson 

 point blank in the House whether he 

 would abide by the decision of the poll 

 if favourable to Home Rule, and he 

 replied that he would not. So those 

 who urge an election obviously do so in 

 the hope that the Liberals will be de- 

 ed. If they win, Ulster would sub- 

 mit no more than at present. Sir Ed- 

 ward Carson is openly preaching armed 

 stance, and advocates the setting up 

 of a provisional government in Ulster. 



