Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/137

 1878] The Disarmament Act. ' 117 from £750 to £1,000 40s., and for every £250 or fraction of £250 above £1,000 20s. additional. Another measure introduced by Mr. Sprigg and adopted by parliament in 1878 led three years later to disastrous consequences to the ministry that favoured it. This was Act 13 " for the better preservation of peace within the colony," popularly known as the disarmament act. It provided that the governor might by proclamation name any district within which no arms of any kind might be possessed without a license. All guns, pistols, assagais, and other implements of war were thereupon to be surrendered to the magistrate of the district, who would grant receipts for them, and as soon as their value could be appraised, that amount would be paid to those who had owned them. As will be seen in further chapters, this act might with more propriety have been termed " for the promotion of discontent and war within the colony," but in political matters things do not always have their right names given to them, and when this act was passed its framers could not foresee its consequences. They were as yet without experience, and were much less cautious than Mr. Molteno would have been.