the Government decided to
appoint a Commission of officials and mining magnates in order to
enquire searchingly into the alleged financial grievances. As far as the
Government was concerned, the chief findings of the Commission were:--

(1). That the price of dynamite (85 shillings per case of 50lbs.) was
too high under the existing concession, and that a diminution in price
was desirable either by cancellation of the concession, or by testing
the legality of the concession in the High Court.

(2). That the tariffs of the Netherlands Railway Company for the
carriage of coal and other articles were too high, and that it was
necessary to expropriate the railway.

(3). That the import duties on necessaries of life were too high, and
that the cost of living in Johannesburg for workmen was too high.

(4). That stringent measures ought to be adopted in order to prevent
gold thefts, and that the law for the total prohibition of drink to
native labourers ought to be more strictly enforced, and that there
ought to be a more stringent application of the Pass Law (under which
the traffic of the native labourers was regulated).

(5). With the object of carrying out the measures specified in Section
4, the Commission recommended that an Advisory Board should be nominated
for the Witwatersrand gold fields for the purpose of advising the
Government as to the enforcement of the said regulations.

[Sidenote: Results of the Commission.]

To what extent was effect given to these recommendations?

[Sidenote: Dynamite.]

1. As far as dynamite is concerned, it appeared that there was no chance
of contesting the concession in the law courts with any success. Nor did
the Volksraad or the Government feel justified in cancelling, without
the consent of the owners, a contract which had been solemnly entered
into, and upon which enormous sums of money had been expended. The
Mining Industry was naturally eager for cancellation, even without
adequate compensation; but the public were not at that time aware of a
fact which was made public some months later, namely, that the De Beers
Corporation intended to erect a dynamite manufactory, and that this
agitation of the Capitalists was intended to obtain for themselves the
control of this great source of income. People, however, knew that the
Messrs. Chamberlain were interested in the English ammunition and
dynamite house of Kynoch, but they hesitate to assume that the Colonial
Secretary was a