Mr Kruger professes to seek the prosperity and progress of the State,
but I will simply mention the dynamite and other monopolies, of which we
have heard so much lately, and point out that it is only a Boer audience
that could be persuaded to believe in him. The resources of the State
are forbidden to be exploited, the Minister of Mines refuses to proclaim
new gold fields; the taxation on those in operation is so heavy that
only a few of the richest mines on the main reef can be profitably
worked. The expenditure of the State is extravagant--quite 40 per cent,
could be saved, I am told. The reforms lately mentioned by the
Industrial Commission, if granted, would reduce the cost of working
expenses by 4 shillings per ton, and be the means of re-opening mines
which were closed as being unprofitable, as well as bringing several
miles of the reef into the payable degree. But Mr Kruger's idea of
increasing the prosperity of the State is by raising the taxes on the
mines that continue to pay dividends, in order to compensate the
Treasury for the loss of revenue incurred from the collapse of the
poorer mines. If, as one mine after another succumbs to the burden of
taxation, he increases the taxes on the richer mines, every mine must
become closed, because no gold mine was ever discovered that did not
cost much money and high-priced labour to extract the gold from it.