IsiXhosa Intellectual Traditions (IsiXIT) Digital Archive

WE have received the Examiner's Re¬port of the Native Girls'Training School, Lesseyton near Queen's Town, which will appear in our next. The Rev. J. E. Parsonson of Queen's Town, was exami¬ner last half year. His report discloses most gratifying results, and shows that much solid and unostentatious, work is being done by this Institution and that so far as it is concerned, the charge that the Government grant is wasted is base¬less. Now that it is coming out that as in Australia the question of education is slowly drifting into the vortex of practical politics, it is incumbert on Principals and Governors of Institutions to put aside the false modesty which leads them to schew publicity. It is time the results of the work among the Natives were given. We deem the idea of calling an outsider to examine the work of the pupils at the end of the term a commend¬able one, and wish it were more generally adopted in our native Schools. THE discussion raised in Parliament by Mr. Du Plessis's motion that the Glen Grey natives be removed to Qumbu ended last Wednesday in the adoption of an ammendment moved by Mr. Innes to the effect that 'such vacant lands in the Transkeian territories as are not intended by the Government to be occu¬pied by Europeans should be tilled up by natives from the Colony, selected first from Glen Grey and Peddie, to consist of those as may be willing wholly to aban¬don their .present locations, and move over the Kei.' Mr. Innes impressed upon the House that the people's feelings should be consulted and that if they move at all they should move in a body. Mr. De Wet accepted the ammendment on behalf of the Government and said, however that the people must not expect more land in the Transkei than they vacated. Mr. Sprigg's remarks were re-assuring'. He assured the House that the matter will be done judiciously and that ' the feel¬ings, desires, and sentiments of the natives shall be considered.' In any case, whether the people go or not they should insist upon something more th in the verbal assurance of Government in the matter of fixity of tenure: for we fear the Traders' proviso is liable to serious abuses. No doubt it would be less so if the Location natives themselves had titles to their holdings. IT is evident from the tone of the dis-cussion that the lands vacated by the natives will be disposed of to European farmers. We are sorry that Government should have been tied down to this course. Some spots of the vacated lands might with advantage to the Government and to the people be set apart for natives anxious to get farms; and for this purpose be surveyed in small farms which would not be beyond the power of the natives. Experience shows niat for many white farmers to own large tracts of land called farms is not an un-mixed good: for it cannot be supposed they would be able to turn it all to good account. Much squatting has resulted from this. Small farms for natives after the fashion of those which have answered so well at Keiskama Hoek would be very useful. Pato's Kop in Peddie which we know Government is anxious to clear but the natives are unwilling might thus be surveyed in small lots and sold to natives themselves principally for agricultural farming which is the chief want of this country. We are satisfied the natives farmers would give a good account of themselves. IN connection with the matter of in-creasing police forces for purposes of decreasing stock-thefts we may state our regret that Government is carefully weed¬ing Natives out of the force. Apart from the consideration that Natives ought also to earn their livelihood by serving Government as policemen, there is the patent fact that to put down prevalent crime in any class effectually members of the same class must be employed. We fear white men cannot be well posted in the ups and downs of the thieving class of Natives. It is suicidal to weed the Natives out of these forces. The services of Native policemen too can be got at a cheaper rate.