SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13357, 11 December 1906, Page 5

SOUTH AFRICAN AFFAIRS.

PROPOSED FEDERATION.

DR. JAMESON'S VIEW. By Telegraph.—Press A—Copyright Capetown. December 9. The Premier of Cape Colony (Dr. Jameson) intends at the forthcoming conference regarding the federation of the South African colonies to advocate union after the Canadian model. There are striking difference;? between the Constitution of Australia and that of Canada. In Canada the central Government is supreme in all national affairs, while the provincial Governments and Parliaments are restricted to local self-govern-ment. The provinces have power to regulate their local affairs, and dispose of their revenues, but must not interfere with the action and policy of the central Administration. Each province receives a fixed subsidy, the. total paid to all of them being about, £1.000.000 a year. Under the Australian Constitution it is the Federal Government's powers that are restricted. The Federal Parliament can legislate only on specified subjects, and. can take only a specified proportion of the Customs revenue. In Canada, each province has a Lieutenant-Governor, a local man, and the provincial Parliament is more like a county council than a. national assembly, while in Australia each State lias a Governor, appointed by the King and Parliament, and all the Departments are on as big a scale as before union. The Canadian system is, in effect, unification with local self-government; that of Austral'?, the federation "of sovereign States. The check of the Stales on the central Government in the case of Australia is maintained in the Senate, where eacli State is represented by an equal number of memberssix. In Canada the States have varying representation in the Senate, and the GovernorGeneral nominates the members. TRANSVAAL CONSTITUTION, MR. LYTTELTON'S MISGIVINGS. London, December. 9. Mr. Lyttelton (ex-Colonial Secretary), speaking at Edinburgh yesterday, said he had great misgivings with regard to self-government for the Transvaal and the Orange River Colony. Federation •of the States and the settlement of British farmers ought to have preceded the granting of responsible government.