South African Affairs

Southland Times, Issue 19774, 26 March 1906, Page 2

South African Affairs

PRELIMINARY TO SELF-GOV-ERNMENT. . SUBJECTS OF THE ENQUIRY. Per United Press Association, By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. LONDON, March 24. Received 25th, 4.12 p.m. Sir West Ridgeway’s committee is instructed to report wlith the utmost despatch us to the 'effect upon representation of Wit watersrand. and towns outside Wit walefsrand, and purely local districts ; of tile division of the Transvaja) into 60 single member’s constitueacies, according to tlio different basis of representation; to enquire and report on the effect of substituting manhood suffrage for the qualilieat ion embodied in clause ,’j of letters patent, 1905 : to consider and report on any proposals for the representation of urban or rural interests ot.her than division into single nieinbered divisions. The eoiu-inb-.-i,)!! fe also instructed to consider Id wlie! exien’i the census of 19(14 is unreliable in regard to some localities, and the possibility of adopting a workable estimate ; to make similar enquiries regarding Orangia, and also to study the proposals discussed at the conference of the leaders of the various parties; and finally to consider if the suggestion of manhood suffrage, coupled with larger marginal discretion in delimitating the divisions, might materially mollify the situation and tend to make the constil u( ion generally more acceptable ; and if manhood suffrage is desirable to place on the voters’ roll certain classes, whose admission, especially in the case of the younger farmers, is desirable.

A meeting ai Pretoria carried a resolution Hint only representation on a population bass would satisfy the Vet Volk.