China -- Emigration and immigration; Chinese -- South Africa
Almost it would seem that the logical conclusion of this estimable
priest was that all the heathen nations of Asia should be packed into
Lord Selborne's loose-boxes and carted over to Johannesburg in order
that the evangelistic genius of the Rector of St. Mary's might have
full scope, and countless souls be added to the fold of Christ, so long
as their duties of digging gold for German Jews at a shilling a day
were not interfered with. As these advocates and supporters of Chinese
labour have convinced themselves that the Ordinance, so far from being
opposed to the principles of Christianity, is likely to be of use in
spreading the doctrine of love, I realize that it would be hopeless to
attempt to prove to them that the importation of Chinese to the Rand
finds no support in the doctrines promulgated in the four Gospels.
Indeed, to expect spiritual ideals on the Rand is too ridiculous for
words. The man who searches the Bible for a text to suit his line
of argument might perhaps find one for the Rand lords from the Old
Testament, and preaching from the sentence that "silver was counted
as naught in the days of Solomon" might argue that all practices were
justifiable to bring about a state of affairs which apparently had the
Divine approval. The ideal of the Rand is money. All imperial, social
and religious considerations have no weight with the masters of the
gold mines. Their object is to get gold, and to get it as cheaply as
they can, and with this in view they realize that they must obtain
two things--1. Political control of the Transvaal; 2. Slave labour.
To attain the first, all Englishmen, with their democratic ideas of
liberty and freedom, must be kept out of the country. This first object
attained, the introduction of slave labour would be extremely simple.
How they achieved their object is the history of South Africa for the
last eight years.
As long ago as 1897, when mines were booming and vast fortunes were
being made, the leaders of the mining industry suddenly realized by a
simple arithmetical calculation that more money could be made if their
workmen were paid less.
Representations were made to President Kruger, a Government Commission
was appointed, and the possibility of reducing the wages of Kaffir
workmen was discussed in all its bearings. Mr. George Albu, who was
then the chairman of the Chamber of Mines, pointed out that 2s. 3d. a
shift was being paid to the Kaffirs, and that this could be reduced
to 1s. 6d. a shift for skilled labour and 1s. or less for unskilled
labour. When he was asked how this could be accomplished, he replied,
"By simply telling the boys that their wages are reduced." Mr. Albu,
however, declared that a much better state of affairs would be brought
about if a law was passed compelling the Kaffir to do a certain amount
of work per annum, though he admitted that nowhere in the world was
there a law enabling any particular industry to obtain forced labour.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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