The Daily News. MONDAY, MAY 1, 1905. THE TRANSVAAL CONSTITUTION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7810, 1 May 1905, Page 2

The Daily News. MONDAY, MAY 1, 1905. THE TRANSVAAL CONSTITUTION

The task of framing a constitution for the government of the Transvaal was one beset by many diflicullics, but it has evidently been approached by the British Government in a spirit of liberality, with the result that there is a consensus of opinion as to the effort being an honest and earnest attempt to close the- wounds of racial schism, and pave the way for the establishment of those liberties nnd privileges which are enjoyed by the selfgoverning colonics of the Hu.pire. Uy the creation of a Legislative Assembly, wlijich, it is generally re-

cognised, will occupy a Kind of half-way position between such a body as the Executive Council of Jamaica, which is purely advisoiy, and that of the Ocnuan l'ai'lir«:aent whoso legislation is subject to the Kaiser's control, a compromise is effected that should safeguard the best interests of the colony, until the time arrives for entirely placing the Government in the hands of the people.- At present it has been deemed' necessary to combine the military element with the civil, presumably on the ground that the complete pacification of the country has not yet ibeen achieved, 'the Astcuftly is to consist of not more than thirty-five and not less than tnirty members, and the Crown w ijl nominate Hot less than six and not more than nine additional rcem-

bers, the latter roughly representing the military element, and demonstrating! the determimitvjji (rf the Crown to retain authority over the recently unne.\eil colony until the loyalty of the European population can he relied upon. The colony is to be -divided into electoral districts on a biasis of equality in the number of electors, subject to periodical revision. There is, of course a possibility that the mining clement may unduly preponderate, but that will be due to the fact of there probably being more electors in the mining- districts than in otiter parts. The franchise basis is certainly more liberal than the Transvaa<l has previously known. It wiil not bo .surprising if the Boers express their dissatisfaction at the seats being distributed on a voter instead of a population basis, but this wast under the circumstances inevitaJ/e. The Dour voters are still likely to preponderate for awhile, the present difference being 50,1)00 or 00.000 Doers as against 30,000 to 4Q,00Q British, while on a population basis the Boers would exceed

b>; about 200,000. The privilege of being voters is confined to white men, Boers and other British subjects. The necessary qualification of a Boer is that he was entitle".! 1 to vote in the First Yolksraad elections of the late Republic, whllo for other British subjects there is ' a very simple residence and a very low property or income qualification, lit is undent that the functions' of this AssemMy will be chiefly consultative, for though it will have legislative powers it. cannot initiate proposals for taxation, and its measures will be subject to voto by tho Crown ; -*at the same twine it will bo tlie means of maKing known the will of the electors in a manner that 'Should carry the greatest weight, Possibly the concession by which

members may with the consent of tho President, address the Asseinlily in Dutoli, will prove unsatisfactory to tho British element, tat tho whole scheme is more or less a compromise and therefore should be given a fair tria'l, so thni when amendments are made they may 'bo based onj tho right lines. The chief point is whether the Boers will; accept the Constitution in a proper spirit of sincerity, and settle clown to the new order, of things with a desire to further the interest of the colony. It is to be hoped they will do so, leaving to thtj future the qiicstion of an extension of that scheme of self-government wEich has now bee» initjaleHi- ■. ■ ! <