THE NEW RUSSIAN CONSTITUTION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5726, 23 October 1905, Page 2

THE NEW RUSSIAN CONSTITUTION.

The terms of the Russian rescript summoning a national Duma are as follows: "The time is come to summon elected representatives from the whole of Russia to take a constant and active part in the elaboration of laws, attaching for this purpose to the higher .state institutions a special consultative body entrusted with the preliminary elaboration and discussion of measures and with the examination of the State Budget.

“It is for this reason that, while preserving the. fundamental law regarding autocratic power, wo have deemed it well to form a Gosoudarstvennaia Duma (State Council), and to approve regulations for election© to this Duma, extending the validity of these laws to the whole territory of the Empire, with such exceptions only as may be considered ■necessary in the case of some regions in which special conditions obtain. “Jis regards the participation in the labours of the Gosoudarstvennaia Duma of delegates from the Grand Duchy of Finland for concerning the Empire in general and the Grand Duchy in particular, we will take special measures. At the same time we have ordered the Minister of the Interior to submit immediately for our approbation • regulations for elections to the Duma, so that deputies from 50 Governments and the military province of the Don may bo able to assemble not later than the middle of January. 190>3. “We reserve to ourselves entirely the care of perfecting the organisation of the Gosoudarstvennaia Duma, and when the course of events has shown the necessity of changes corresponding completely to the needs of the times and the welfare of the Empire, wo shall not fail to give, at the proper moment, the necessary indication/’ . . / .. These are the main provisions or tne now Assembly:— ~ "The Duma is established for the preliminary study and discussion of legislative propositions which, according to the fundamental laws, will be submitted to the supreme autocratic authority uy the Council of tho Empire. "The Duma shall be formed of members elected by the population of the Russian-Empire in accordance with the election regulations. Their terms shall be five years. The Duma can be dissolved by the Czar before the expiration of five years. ■ . , •, "The length of the sessions and adiournmcnis shall be determined by tlio Czar Tho Duma shall have a general session and shall also meet by sections. “Members of tho Duma shall take tho following oath; —'We promise to perform our duties to the best of our knowledge and ability, in all loyalty to his Majesty and mindful only of the wclfare of Russia.* - "They ehall enjoy absolute freedom m expreeion of opinion on matters within tho competence of the Duma, and are not responsible to Ibelr electors JJembers can be deprived of or limited in their liberty only by. order of the judicial power They may not be arrested for debt. "Members shall bo paid at the rate of ten roubles per day during the Session and shall also receive travelling expenses at the rate of live copecks per verst twice yearly to and from St. Petersburg. “Minister© and chiefs of departments cannot become members of the Duma, but they may attend its Sessions and make 1 their explanations before it, or may delegate thi© right to others. “Tho competence of tho Duma shall extend to (a) all questions relating to new laws and tho modification, amplification, and temporary suspension or repeal of existing laws, and also to tho making and altering of appointments to the staffs of the Ministries and to tho expenditure thereby involved: (b) to the departmental. Ministerial, and national Budgets, and also to other expenditure not provided for therein; (c) to the financial report of the Comptroller of the Empire; (d) to tho expropriation of apportion of tho'revenue or property of tho State; (e) to the conslructiou of railways by the State; (f) to the organisation of stock companies, involving exceptions from existing legislation; tg) to matters submitted to the Duma by Imperial decree. "Tho Duma shall have jurisdiction in the matter of taxes in provinces where there are 'no Zemstvos, as well as in the raising of the rate of taxation above that provided by the Zemstvos and city councils. “The Duma shall have initiative in the matter of the repeal or modification of old and - the adoption of new laws, but the., fundamental laws of the Imperial administration shall not be touched. “Question© destined to bo discussed by the Duma shall be submitted to it by the Ministers. Chiefs of Department, and

the Secretary of the Empire. The pub. lie shall not be admitted to tho sessions. Representatives of the Frees may be ad. mitted by the President of the Duma to tho open, but not to the closed sessions. "If a Minister disagrees with the Duma, but if tho latter approves the Bill cop. corned by a two-thirds majority, the queeL tiou shall bo referred to tho Council of the Empire, which shall lay it before the Czar.

"Tho total number of members wilt be 412 of whom 28 will bo returned by towns. Ths elections in provinces and territories will be affected by a prov- \ incial electoral college consisting of electors chosen by landowners, by urbaa electors, by delegates from the peasantry. Women are not allowed to vote. As re. gards the peasantry, tho electoral asBomblies consist of two delegates prove iously chosen from each canton by peasants belonging to cantonal and agri. cultural .corporations." Speculating on the character of th* future Duma, a St. Petersburg correspondent of tho “Times” says;—“The , peasants have altogether 2.305 electoral as against 1,972 from the landed proprietors and 1,354 from burgesses, which gives the two latter a preponderance in tho aggregate, but in many provinces. l the peasant electors predominate and. will probably return only mnjiks. Ths peasant element in tho Duma is, there,, ' fore, bound to bo very strong. According ■to statistics published St. Petersburg's 1,500,000 inhabitants will provide only 9,500 voters, including 137 Jews. Moscow, with over 1.000,000, has 11,000 voters. The peasant element will have an absolute majority over the landowners and urban electors in the provinces of Archangel, Astrakhan, Vologda, Voro. nezh, Vyatka, the Don territory, Kazan, Kursk, Olonotz. Orenburg, Penza Sai. mara, Stavropol, Tamboff, and Ufa! Including tho 51 members ensured by special provision of the project, the peasants are certain of 153 representatives in thv Duma out of a total of 552."