Review oj Reviews, 1I12J13. PROGRESS OF THE WORLD. 



947 



isles. The Servian Coercion Act is a 



curiosity of inventive severity. One 



should doubt if anything like it was 



ever compiled by a State which pro- 

 fessed to be civilised. 



Indians in South Africa. 



A serious situation has developed in 

 South Africa owing to the discrimina- 

 tion against Indians in the Immigra- 

 tion Act and the poll tax of 60s. This 

 is levied only on Indians not under in- 

 denture. As a protest against the action 

 of the Union Government, Indians in 

 Natal have struck work. Serious dis- 

 turbances followed, the coolies in man)' 

 cases overpowering the police sent to 

 preserve order. As the mines and sugar- 

 cane fields are worked entirely bv 

 Indian labour, industry in Natal is at a 

 standstill. Allegations of shooting and 

 flogging to coerce the Indians to work 

 have been freely made. These accusa- 

 tions are indignantly denied by Lord 

 Gladstone. Until order is restored, and 

 the men resume work, the Union 

 Government absolutely refuses to dis- 

 cuss the grievances of the Indians. 

 There are over 120,000 in Natal alone. 



India's Attitude. 



Great indignation has been shown in 

 India. At many meetings resolutions 

 urging Imperial interference were 

 passed, and the treatment of their fel- 

 low-countrymen in South Africa has 

 given the opportunity of raising the 

 whole question of the restrictions en- 

 forced against Indians in the various 

 Dominions. They demand proper 

 treatment as fellow-subiects of the Em- 

 pire, and a bitter feeling against Aus- 

 tralia's action in refusing to allow an}' 

 Indians to enter her borders was shown. 

 Lord Hardinge is strong!)- in sympathy 

 with the Natal Indians in their resist- 

 ance to " invidious and unjust laws." 

 He regretted the impossibility of being 



THE LATE SIR RICHARD SOLOMON, 

 South Africa's High Commissioner in London- 

 able to make South Africa seriously 

 feel India's indignation. To bring the 

 matter home, it has been suggested that 

 Indians should leave Natal en masse. 

 If they did so, the country would be 

 ruined. The official attitude of the 

 Imperial Government was indicated by 

 Lord Crewe, in giving a reply to a de- 

 putation from the All Indian South 

 African League, which demanded Bri- 

 tish intervention to secure the rights of 

 citizenship to Indians throughout the 

 Empire. In the interests of Imperial 

 solidarity he deprecated anyone menac- 

 ing South Africa. Statements about 

 flogging, etc., need not be implicitly be- 

 lieved, though there was clearly ground 

 for enquiry. South African ministers 

 were honestly anxious to see the laws 

 humanely administered. Evidently 

 South Africa is to be allowed to settle 

 the matter as she likes. If India ever 

 became a self-governing Dominion, the 

 position of her nationals within the Em- 

 pire would be a very serious problem. 



