Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/322

 200 THE BRITISH EMPIRE : — UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA

THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA.

Constitution and Government.

The Union of South Africa is constituted under the South Africa Act, 1909 (9 Edw. 7, Ch. 9) passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, on September 20, 1909. In terms of that Act the self-governing Colonies of the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, the Transvaal, and the Orange River Colony became united on May 31, 1910, in a legislative Union under one Government under the name of the Union of South Africa, these Colonies becoming original provinces of the Union under the names of the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, the Transvaal, and the Orange Free State ]irovince, re- spectively. IJnder the Act constituting the Union, the Sovereign appoints a Governor-General, who, with an Executive Council (of which the members are chosen and summoned by him), administers the executive government of the Union as the Governor-General in Council. Departments of State have been established, the Governor-General appointing not more than ten officers to administer them. Such officers are King's Ministers of State for the Union and members of the executive Council.

Legislative power is vested in a Parliament consisting of the King, a Senate, and a House of Assembly. The Governor- General has power to summon, prorogue, and dissolve Parliament, either both Houses simul- taneously or the House of Assembly alone ; but the Senate may not be dissolved within 10 years of the establishment of the Union. There must be a session of Parliament every year.

The Senate consists of forty memljers. For ten years after the estab- lishment of Union eight (four being selected mainly for their acquaintance with the reasonable wants and wishes of the coloured races) are nominated by the Governor-General in Council and thirty-two are elected, eight for each Province. The first election was made prior to the establishment of the Union by the two Houses of each of the Colonial Legislatures sitting as one body, and a vacancy will be filled by the choice of the Provincial Council in respect of whose Province a vacancy occurs. The Constitution of the Senate after ten years may be provided for by Parliament, but if no such provision is made the arrangements made in the South Africa Act are to hold good. Each senator must be a British subject of European descent, at least 30 years of age, qualified as a voter in one of the provinces, and resident for five years within the Union ; an elected senator must be registered owner of property of the value of 500Z. over any mortgage.

The House of Assembly consists of 121 members chosen in Electoral Divisions in numbers as follows : — The Cape of Good Hope, 51 ; Natal, 17; Transvaal, 36 ; Orange Free State, 17, provision being made for increases of representation proportional to increase of European population. Parliamentary voters must have the qualifications as existing in the several colonies at the time of the Union. Each electoral district in each province returns one member. A member of the House of Assembly must be a British subject of European descent, qualified as a registered voter, and resident five years within the Union.

A House of Assembly is to continue five years from the date of its first meeting unless sooner dissolved. Each member of each House must make Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance. A member of one House cannot be elected to the other, but a Minister of State may sit and speak, but not vote in the House of which he is not a member. To hold an office of profit under the Crown (with certain exceptions) is a disqualification for member- ship of either House, as are also insolvency, crime, or insanitj'.