The policy of the Government in regard to taxation may be practically described as protection without production.  The most monstrous hardships result to consumers, and merchants can scarcely say from day to day where they are.  Twice now has the Government entered into competition with traders who have paid their licences and rents and who keep staffs.  Recently grain became scarce.  The Government were petitioned to suspend the duties, which are cruelly high, in order to assist the mining industry to feed its labourers.  The Government refused this request on the plea that it was not in a position to suspend duties without the permission of the Volksraad, and yet within a few days we find that the Government has granted a concession to one of its friends to import grain free of duty and to sell it in competition with the merchants who have had to pay duties.  I do not attempt to deal with this important question adequately, but give this example to show how the Government regards the rights of traders.

MONOPOLIES.

It has been the steady policy of the Government to grant concessions.  No sooner does any commodity become absolutely essential to the community than some harpy endeavours to get a concession for its supply.  There is scarcely a commodity or a right which has not been made the subject of an application for the grant of a concession.  We all remember the bread and jam concession, the water concession, the electric lighting concession, and many others, but I need only point to the dynamite concession to show how these monopolies tend to paralyse our industries.  There may be some of you who have not yet heard and some who have forgotten the facts connected with this outrage upon public rights.

STORY OF THE DYNAMITE CONCESSION.

Some years ago, Mr. Lippert got a concession for the sole right to manufacture and sell dynamite and all other explosives.  He was to manufacture the dynamite in this country.  For years he imported dynamite under the name of Guhr Impregne duty free.  He never manufactured dynamite in the country, and upon public exposure, the Government was compelled to cancel the concession, the President himself denouncing the action of the concessionnaire as fraudulent.  For a time we breathed freely, thinking we were rid of this incubus, but within a few months the Government granted virtually to the same people another concession, under which they are now taking from the pockets of the public L600,000 per annum, and this is a charge which will go on growing should the mining industry survive the persistent attempts to strangle it.  How a body charged with the public interests could be parties to this scandalous fleecing of the public passes comprehension.  Then, the curious feature about the matter is that the Government gets some petty fraction of this vast sum, and the concessionnaires have on this plea obtained enormous advances of public