The first year of what is known as the lent" is over, and one 7 perhaps too early to say that from a mining point of view the experi ent hxs been alit gigantic success, It is true that all the chairmen of companies declare that the new comers are doing better than Kafiirs with far longer experience, and quote figures of the number of fest drilled to prove the contention. Bu not yet absolutely certain that the ''coolies" as the Rand calls them, are going to settle down to steady work. You in China little idiosynorasi:
on the Rand it appears that the C yep good deal too fond of fighting.
of course excuses and planations. But the bare record is difficult to altogether smooth aw y.
ist July on the New Comet mine the night shift men refused to work and smashed a good many windows.
About the middle of September there was a fight between the Chinese at the Van Ryn; and alittle later the Chinese and Kaffirs at North Randfontein got at loggerheads and several mon were arrested and sent to prison for three months.
Almost simultaneously the colic Glen Deep attacked ringleaders were sent to prison.
In October at the Aurora West th Chinese set upon their manager and it was some time before they were quieted.
Not a woak later there was a bij row on the Geduld property, The coolies attacked © white foreman and before they were repulsed the police had to open with rifles and revolvers, and six of the Rand where the miners drove off the officials and held the compound against all comers, About 1,400 of them were concerned in the riot, and they armed themselves with crowbars, drills, sticks, and jumpers. The police had' to wait until large _reinforcoments had been collected and then they charged th compound and after knocking some of the coolies about rather severely managed to drive them back to their quarters.
Several more disturbances followed, and alittle more thane week ago there was a bad riot at Knight's Deep. Here it was a case of Yellow versus Black, The trouble arose over a Kaffir: woman. and the Chinese sallied forth at midnight in two bands. One part attacked the Kafiirs and another the Native Location. In the fight that ensued three Kaffirs and one Chiraman were killed, and some thirty mon removed to the hospital, where another Kafir subsequently died. An eye-witness desoribed the compound after the fight as like a battle-field. As this case followed rather closely upon the midnight murder of three men by Chinese—a sequel apparently to a religious dispute amongst the miners—many people slong the mines began to feel uneasy and bought arms. But the compound was guarded for several days by armed police, and in the face of thi of strength the coolies have behaved better and at the time of writing are working well.
Although for reasons which need not be entered into now, one does not hear much of the subject, I have reason to think that a little at least of the unpleasantness has arisen from the harsh Way in which some of the English miners hi ted the coolies under them.
hamper of Mines attributes the trouble to the presence of a class of agitators who come to South Africa, with the intention, not of working, but of living by other people's troubles. And when trouble does not look like coming they set about making it.
Yet judging from the last dis!
case of " cherchez la femme. leas the Chinese are allowed and are wi ling to bring over their wives, trouble with the Kafirs is bound to contin This in a subject I beliovethe mine-owners are taking into serious consideration.
But if these difficulties can be overcome there no reason why the Chinese should not well and steadily, As more intelligé the whole they are strong and hardy. Their presence has inspired the investing public with more confidence, for only those who ied nati our know how unrel is, Itis a mistake, too, to imagine that white labour has not been given a fair trial. Some mine managers made a determined effort to utilise it, but found once more that the white man, however poor will not long do " nigger's work.
Unless for some reason or other the Chinese authorities veto the emigi of the miners, coolie labour for th has come to stay. But wheth in the long ran, mean the increased employment of whites is a mat er upon which many people are by no means confident,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.