BRITISH POLITICS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1708, 26 March 1906, Page 2

BRITISH POLITICS.

BOUTH AFRICAN CONSTITUTION

Bjr telegraph, Press Ass'n, Copyright

Reoeived 4.11 p.m., March 24, London, Maroh 24.

Sir Woßt Ridgowoy’s committee have been inßtruolod to report with tho utmost dospatoh as to tbo t fleet upon representation of Witwater’s Rand, towns outsido Witwater’sßand, and purely looal distriots; of tho division of tbo Transvaal into 60 single member constituencies aooording to the different basis of representation; inquire and report on tbo effect of substituting manhood suffrage for the qualification embodied in olaueo 3 of Letters Patent, 1906; consider and report on any propoßa's for representation of urban or rural interests other than tbo division into single member divisions. They have also boan instructed to consider to what extent the census of 1904 is unreliable in regard to some localities, and the possibility of adopting a workable estimot-. They are to make,,, similar inquiries regarding Orangia; also study the proposals disousted at a conference of leaders of the various paries. They are finally in* struct3d to consider if the suggested manhood suffrage, coupled with larger marginal discretion in deliminated divisions, might mateiially modify the situation, and tond to mike tbo constitution generally more acceptable, and if the manhood suffrage would place on the voters’ toll certain classes, whoso admission, especially in the case of younger formers, is desirable. moating at Pretoria carried a resolution that only represeniation on a population basis would satisfy tbe Het Vo’k.