Wuen dealing a fortnight: ago with the pamphlet with the above title by Mr. C. Kinloch Cooke, we stated that we had left for future consideration the second part of Mr, Cooke's argument, which: he. calls "The Imperial Sid." We. cannot congratulate Mr." Cooke 6a—his opening paragraph. We have anneed new territory, he says, rich in minerals. and in agricultural -prospects, and it is our duty to develop it in the best possible way. He quotes an anonymous American: who: once said to him: "You Britishers are a singular race; you spend millions of, pounds in acquiring new territory' rich in mineral wealth, but you never develop it. Look at Australia. Look at Canada, And now look at South-' Africa.". A more foolish critici of the progress of our Australian and Canadian colonies it, would pass the wit of man to make; -and it is difficult to imagine Mr. Cooke's thinking that to repeat it would strengthen his argument.
Nor is Mr. Cooke very happy-in his second argument, in which: he tries to answer those who urge that the mince-owners are trying to get rich too fast, and for that purpose are insisting on importing: Chinese labour, "A very elementary knowledge of finance," he -says, "is sufficient to. explain -that when a mine is started on the basis of being worked out in ten years, and ey thing in connection with that mine is arranged on. the same. premises, it would be absolutely dishonest to take twenty years -to work out the mine, paying shareholders. half divi-dands the while." Mr: Cooke's first object, then, is to work out the mines as fast as possible, but as he tells us that the white population of the Transvaal looks: almost. entirely to the gold" industry for its very existence, what will the 'Transvaal be when by. the' aid of unlimited Chinese. "indan-+ tured labour, the: mines are worked out? And what will Great'-Britain'. have—apart from the magnates who are now. trying to get out of paying the £10,000,000 they -promised Mr. Chamberlain to. raise—ia return for the £250,000,000. the Transvaal War cost her?.. Surely-it-would be a. better: policy -to: delay the working out.of the mines until agriculture and-. other: industries.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.