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Publications & Reports

Bleek confronts the labour question as he reflects on an overcrowded Europe whose migrating excess population settles across various colonies like the sparsely populated Cape Colony, where such a question is not foremost. He concedes the impracticality of a right to employment. Private sector job-creation is unlikely to stretch far enough without a sweeping moral imperative, so Governor Wodehouse has been urged to solve the problem of unemployment in Port Elizabeth, which has the highest concentration of unemployed (urban ["European"?]) men. A fact-finding labour test, beyond municipal capabilities, is suggested to sort active jobseekers apart from the voluntarily idle. However, Wodehouse has arranged employment for distressed workers using money granted by the legislature to undertake public works at Tulbagh Kloof once discontinued for deviating from the sanctioned plan. The executive is not cooperating with the legislature, and perhaps this is Wodehouse punishing them for their vote of censure against him and their disapproval of Frederick Bourne's work. Wodehouse doubts whether the protracted Free State-Basuto war will better the burghers' position. Bleek disagrees with Wodehouse's misconceptions of the Basuto. Its leadership's failure to curb frontier criminality makes them dangerous neighbours indifferent to the norms of civilised government. Moshesh, still at Thaba Bosigo, is a distraction. Knysna was once weak to Bantu marauders until colonists asserted themselves. Perhaps Moshesh and President Brand will reach peace when burghers physically settle Basutoland per the Cathcart system of occupation.

Printed newsprint glued on paper

19/10/1865

Two cut out columns of newsprint text, positioned vertically parallel, pasted onto a plus-sized A4 unlined sheet with visible warping. No title was subsequently handwritten onto the mount/paper backing.