RIGHT OF SECESSION

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 46, 18 November 1925, Page 9

RIGHT OF SECESSION

NOT TO BE EXERCISED BY SOUTH AFRICA UNTIL WANTED AS A UNITED PEOPLE IMPORTANT SPEECH BY GENERAL HERTZOG The Prime Minister of South Africa, General Hertzog, says the right of secession will only be exercised if the people are convinced that the British com nection is harmful. By Telegraph.—Press Association COPYRIGHT Cape Town, November 16. Sneaking at Bastron, tlie Prime Minister (General Hertzog) said that the right of secession would only be exercised if the people were convinced that the British connection was harmful. No 1 Nationalist at present desired it. feeling that it would cause a fatal bitterness.

As a nation they v.cre already independent. They did not exercise the rieht to appoint Ambassadors everj'where because they were too expensive ■to be worth while. At present tliev could do everything needful through British officials. Until such time as both sections wanted secession as a united people no steps would be taken in that direction. The significance of this declaration lies in the fact that it was not accompanied bv any qualification such as was made in a similar declaration in Parliament when' the Prime Minister declared that should the opposite party seek to establish superiority or dominance based on the British connection the secession issue would eventually again be raised.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.