ORANGE RIVER COLONY

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1847, 31 July 1907, Page 58

ORANGE RIVER COLONY

(From Our Own Correspondent.') JOHANNESBURG, June 14. This Constitution nas now been promulgated. It is very much on the same lines as that of the Transvaal and has already been forecasted by statements made in the House of Commons, and x ha\e already sent you some of the details. It contains two Chambers, the Council consisting of eleven and the .Assembly of - hirty-eight members. The iii embers cf the Council are appointed by the Governor, three retire at the end of three years, four at the end of five years, and lour at the end of seven years, all are eligible for reappointment, the retiring members ate to be decided by ballot. Should the Legislature pas© a measure for an Elective Council, such measure not to take effect fefore the present Council has been in existence for four years. The members of the Assembly will be elected for single constituencies, of which five have been apportioned to Bloemfontein. The Letters Patent provide foi automatic redistribution cn the basis of population, tae Qualification being white= manhood suffrage. Provision ha© been made, as with the Transvaal, for the retention of the land settlements constituted under Crown colony government; these will still be under the direc. control of the Governor, the administration being left tc a Land Board appointed by him very much on the same lin e f as the prevision made in respect of similar se - tkment© in the Trausvaal. lt will be some month© before the elections can b held swing to the work entailed upon the Commissioners appointed to delimit the boundaries of the various constituencies. The constitution has not excitemuch comment nor i©_ it likely to do ©o, its provision© having been anticipated by statements mad" by imperial Ministers. On tbe whole the feeling i® one of satisfaction, and the two political parties are already preparing the election campaign. I have already informed you of the ©cope and intentions of these two parties. The Constitutional party, led by Sir John Fraser, will probably gain the support of the majority of the British voters, whilst the Unie will receive the votes of the bulk of the electors. There is very little difference between the platforms of the two parties, they both breathe a spirit of goodwill and conciliation, and the constructive policies are very similar. A© I remarked m previous letter© the real difference between the pai'ties is one of individuals. Tho.y have not, in the 0.R.C., two distinct sections, as is the case with the Transvaal, although they profess to_ be anxious to guard the country against the foreign financial magnate. In this coni ectiou l may say that Johannesburg is the financial centre of South Africa, and that nearly all the mineral propo ©itions exploited in the other colonies have their operation© directed from this town. This applies in of the diamond and other mine© m the '-O.R.C.v-and both parties in that colony will probably use their utmost endeavours to prevent the interest© of the State being subordinated to those of the Rand capitalists. The political conflict ha© already eiven

ev'denco of a tendency to revert to prewar antagonisms, and so far as I caa see the real distinctions will be between, the. “ins” and the outs.” That the Unie will have a big majority and will form the Government almost goes without saying l , and Sir John Fraeer and hia fri- nds will have an opportunity of criticising their policy, but there seems no prospect whatever for eu-me years of their boing able to do anything else.