UNDER RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT Southern Rhodesia—Under the new constitution, granted by Letters Patent on Oct. 1, legislation affecting the African population, the unalienated land, the railways, and the mineral rights of the company is subject to disallowance by the Crown, but in other respects Southern Rhodesia was endowed with the institutions of a self-governing oversea British state. A legisla ture of two chambers was constituted, of which the Legislative Council is composed of the ministry under the presidency of the governor of the Colony, and the Legislative Assembly of 3o mem bers elected in II electoral districts. The first general election was held on April 2g, 1924, and the first ministry was then formed by Sir Charles Coghlan, who remained in office, as prime minister. until his death in 1927, when he was succeeded by Mr. H. U. Moffat. The franchise is most liberal. Persons possessing the necessary qualifications are admitted to the electorate without distinction of sex or race. The first concern of the colonial govern ment was to augment the European element, and recent immi gration returns indicate that their efforts have been successful. In the first nine months of 1927 the unprecedented number of 3,574 immigrants were received; and in the following year the European population, which was returned in the census of May 4, 1926, as 39,174, was estimated to be so,000. Apart from this, two important questions occupied the ministry. As the result of negotiations with the company and the governments concerned, the administration of the railways in Southern Rhodesia, North ern Rhodesia, and the Bechuanaland protectorate were placed under a railway commission composed of a chairman and three other members. The powers and duties of this body are set out in the Railway Act, 1926. The chairman, who must have a prac tical experience of railway working, is appointed by the three governments jointly after consultation with the railway com panies and with the approval of the Colonial Office, and the three other members respectively by the three governments. The appointment of the Hilton Young commission (see below) in 1927 brought into prominence again the question of the amalga mation of the two Rhodesias, which had been raised in The ministry by requesting that the colony should be included in the scope of the commission, and by public declarations (Oct.
5, 1927), showed its intention to consider favourably any pro posals on this head that might come from Northern Rhodesia.
Up to 1911 this vast territory of 287,95osq.m., twice as large as Southern Rhodesia, was divided into North-West and North-East Rhodesia. From that year onwards the territory was administered in the form of a single government as Northern Rhodesia. At the time of the amalgamation its European population was 1,434, and the annual value of its imports and exports respectively L127,664 and £123.458. In 1924 the territory was taken over by the British Government; and under the constitution, granted by Order-in-Council of Feb. 20, the colony of Northern Rhodesia is administered by a governor, with an executive council composed of the chief officials, and a legislative council of 14 members, five of whom are non-official and elected. By the census of 1921, the colony then had a European population of 3,634, and an African population of 979.905; and in 1927 the former was estimated to have risen to between 5,000 and 6,000. The first governor, Sir Herbert (then Mr. H. J.) Stanley took office on April 1, The natives are left as much as possible to the authority of the chiefs, but there is a European magistrate in each of the nine districts into which the colony is divided. The Barotse district, which is a "native reserve," is ruled by the paramount chief, and the council of lesser chiefs, common to the Bantu peoples, has a recognized official status. As, under the terms of transfer, the company retains the mineral royalties and 5o% of the land rev enues, the Crown administration is placed in a disadvantageous financial position.