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252 "Voters must be twenty-one years of age, either born or naturalized British subjects, and must have resided one year in the colony and six months in the electoral district. Every male Maori of the same age whose name is on a rate-payer's roll, or who has a freehold estate of the value of twenty-five pounds, may also be enrolled as a voter. There are four Maori members of the House of Representatives, elected under a special law by the Maoris alone. Legislation concerning the sale and disposal of the public lands and the occupation of the gold-fields is exclusively vested in the colonial parliament. In general it may be said that the parliament and the county and local boards have the management of public affairs, just as the parliament of England and the local authorities there conduct the affairs of the nation at home.

"There is no connection between Church and State, otherwise than in all ministers being registered once a year, in order that they may legally perform the marriage ceremony. At the last reports there were 638 registered ministers, belonging to the following denominations: Church of England, 235; Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, 81; Roman Catholic, 86; Presbyterian Church of Otago and Southland, 57; Methodists, 95; Congregational Independent, 19; Baptist, 17; and ten