1889.
PRESIDENT.
July.—His Honour accepts a loan of £7,000 from the State funds at
2-1/2 per cent. interest (current rate being about 6 per cent.).
1890.
July 4.—The PRESIDENT said: Mr. Taljaard yesterday threw in my
teeth that I took advantage of my position to benefit my own relations. I
assure you that I have not done anything of the kind. Unfortunately, one of
my relatives who is a speculator has got a concession, which I am in duty
bound to carry out. But I am deeply grieved that Mr. Taljaard said what he
did say. In future, I can assure you not a single member of my family shall
receive a single office. I will not even make one of them a constable. I
have children myself, but I have left them on the farm rather than put them
in office to draw money from the State.
1891.
May.—In answer to a request that President Kruger would allow his
name to be used as patron of a ball in honour of Her Majesty's birthday:
SIR,
In reply to your favour of the 12th instant, requesting me to ask His
Honour the State President to consent to his name being used as a patron of
a ball to be given at Johannesburg on the 26th inst., I have been instructed
to inform you that His Honour considers a ball as Baal's service, for which
reason the Lord ordered Moses to kill all offenders; and as it is therefore
contrary to His Honour's principles, His Honour cannot consent to the misuse
of his name in such connection.
I have, etc.,
F. ELOFF,
Pr. Secretary.
1892.
FIRST RAAD.
PRESIDENT.
May 24.—It was resolved that a dam be constructed on the
President's farm 'Geduld' at a cost of £4,500, at the expense of the
Treasury.
SECOND RAAD.
The Public Works Department report that the road across the President's
farm 'Geduld,' estimated to cost £1,500, had actually cost £5,000. Mr. MEYER
stated that this road was of absolutely no use to anyone but the owner of
the farm!
FIRST RAAD.
June 15.—Letter from Mr. Mare, Deacon, on behalf of the United
Church, Pretoria, complaining that of the twelve erven given by Government
to the Church, they had been deprived of four, which had been handed over to
the President's Church, the Gerevoormede or Dopper, and two of these had
again been transferred to the President himself.
June 16.—After a lengthy discussion it was resolved that the
President is entirely exonerated. The Raad further expressed its disapproval
of this conduct of a Christian Church, whose duty it should be to foster
Christian love, and set an example to the burghers.
FIRST RAAD.
August 2.—A memorial was read from Lichtenburg, praying for a
stringent investigation into the Report of the Estimates Committee of 1890,
in which it was stated that of £140,000 spent on the Pretoria streets,
vouchers for £22,000 were missing. The Raad decided on the President's
stating that nothing was wrong with the accounts to send the memorialists a
copy of the resolution of last year.
1893.
July 17.—The PRESIDENT said it was simply murdering the erection
of factories to say there should be no concessions. He denied that factories
could be erected without concessions. If the Raad wished to throw out all
concessions, well and good. That simply meant the fostering of industries in
other countries.
STANDS SCANDAL.{54}
August 3.—The PRESIDENT said that speculation, when fairly
conducted, was justifiable, and the Government had acted according to the
circumstances, and in the interests of the State. The Government had no
private interests in view, but thought the sale was quite justifiable.
The Minister of Mines was then attacked for granting stands to Raad
officials when higher offers had been made.
Footnote for Appendix C
{54} By this name is known the series of
transactions in which Government land in Johannesburg was sold out of hand
to certain private individuals at a nominal figure, many thousands of pounds
below the then market value.
