dleness. As a matter of
fact however the law is not applied in the cases of Boer farmers.
From the President downwards the Boers own farms on which hundreds
of families are allowed to remain, paying their hut-taxes and
contributing largely to the prosperity of the land-owner. In the case
of the Uitlander however there seems to be a principle at stake, as
the mine-owners above referred to found to their cost. No sooner had
they located their tribe and provided them with all the conditions
necessary to comfort than an official came down to them, Plakkerswet
in hand, and removed all except the five allowed by law and
distributed them among his friends and relations. The experiment has
not been repeated.

Early in 1894 the Chamber of Mines received assurances from the
Government that if they would prepare a Pass Law which would include
provisions for the protection of natives, for the regulation of
their relations with employers, and for their right to travel within
the country, the Government would give their support to the measure
and would endeavour to have it adopted by the Volksraad. The
Commissioner for Native Affairs, General Joubert, admitted his
inability to deal with so complex an affair, and gratefully accepted
the aid of the Chamber. Such a concession on the part of the
Government was regarded as highly satisfactory; the law was prepared,
everything was explained and agreed to, the support of the Government
was promised to the draft law, and it was anticipated that it would
come into force during the Session of 1894. Such was not the case. It
remained pigeon-holed throughout 1894 and 1895, and in the last days
of the latter Session the law was passed; but an important omission
occurred. The Government forgot to create the department to carry out
the law, so that by the end of 1895 the men were no nearer having a
workable law than ever. But reforms when introduced by the Transvaal
Government, are not usually without an object, although not
necessarily the declared one. An opportunity was here presented to
the President to recognize past services, and he appointed to an
office which required the highest intelligence experience character
and zeal an individual who had been implicated in two disgraceful
charges and who, having failed to clear himself had been dismissed
his office by the Boer Government not two years previously. There was
but one explanation forthcoming. The individual in question was a
political s