CONSTITUTION OF THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA In accordance with the provisions of an act of the British parliament (South Africa Act, 1909), Cape Colony, Natal, the Transvaal and Orange River Colony were united under one Government in a legislative union under the British Crown. The Union of South Africa, as the new State is named, was established on May 31, 191o. Upon its formation the colonies named became provinces of the Union. In the case of the Orange River Colony its title was changed to Orange Free State Province. The colonial legislatures were abolished, provincial councils, with strictly subordinate and delegated powers, were set up, and pro vincial administrators (local men) replaced the various governors. (See SOUTH AFRICA: History.) The main provisions of the con stitution are as follows:— The Executive and Legislature.—The Government is vested in the king but is administered by a governor-general. He can dismiss ministers and dissolve both houses of the legislature simultaneously or the House of Assembly alone. He can appoint a deputy to act for him during absence. He is paid f i o,000 a year and is advised by an executive council, whose members he nomi nates. The council must include the ministers of State; and departments may not exceed i 1 in number. Ministers cannot hold office for more than three months unless they sit in parliament. The control of native affairs is vested in the governor-general, who also deals with Asiatics.
The Senate consists of 40 members, 8 from each province, and 8 members nominated by the governor-general. Four of these are selected for their acquaintance with "the reasonable wants and wishes" of the coloured races. The presence of both nominated and elected members in the Senate is a novel provision in British colonial legislatures. The senators chosen in 1910 hold office for ten years. After 1920 the Union parliament may make any alteration it sees fit in the constitution of the senate (up to 1928 no change had been made). A senator must be a British subject of European descent, must be 3o years old, be a voter, have lived for five years in the Union, and, if an elected member, be possessed of immovable property within the Union of the clear value of L5oo.
The House of Assembly consists (as originally constituted) of 121 members (now increased to 135). Of these members the
Cape Province returns 5/, the Transvaal 36 (now increased to 5o) and Natal and Orange Free State 17 each. As population increases the total number of members may be raised to 15o.
Members must, like senators, be British subjects of European descent, they must be qualified to be registered as voters and have lived for five years within the Union. A general election must take place every five years, and all polls must be taken on the same day. There must be a session every year.
The qualifications of parliamentary voters are those, which existed in the several colonies at the establishment of the Union, save that "no member of His Majesty's regular forces on full pay" can be registered as a voter. As the franchise laws in the several colonies differed, the qualifications of voters in the prov inces differ also. In the Transvaal and Orange Free State prov inces the franchise is restricted to white adult male British subjects. In neither province is there any property qualification, but a six months' residence before registration is required. In Natal (q.v.) there is a low property qualification. In that prov ince coloured persons are not by name debarred from the f ran chise, but they are in practice excluded. In the Cape Province, where there is also a low property qualification, no colour bar exists and there are a large number of Kaffir voters. (See CAPE COLONY : Constitution). Parliament may alter the qualifications for the vote, but no law which would deprive coloured persons in the Cape province of the franchise can be effective "unless the bill be passed by both houses of parliament sitting together and at the third reading be agreed to by not less than two-thirds of the total number of members of both houses." The provinces have no original authority, possessing only such powers as are delegated to them by the parliament. In certain cases the governor-general must reserve the royal assent to bills, e.g., any bill abolishing the coloured vote in the Cape Province. (For proposals to alter the franchise see p. 6o). The king is given the power to disallow any law within a year of its having received the assent of the governor-general.