Each separate colony has at its head an administrator, appointed by the governor-gen eral, an executive committee of four and a provisional council of 25 members or a num ber equal to the number of members which the colony sends to the Parliament of the Union. The provincial committees and councils have authority to deal with local matters, such as tinance, elementary education, agriculture, char ity, municipal institutions, local works, roads and bridges, markets, fish and game, etc. The governor-general approves these local ordi nances.
. The administration of justice is by the Su preme Court of South Africa and other courts within the Union and in the provinces. The common law of the Union is the Roman-Dutch law. Prior to 1913-14 the expenses of the four provinces were entirely defrayed from grants by the Union government. Under the Financial Relations Act of 1913 certain revenues were transferred or assigned to the provinces and the grants by the Union government were limited to 50 per cent of the total normal or recurrent expenditure of the provinces. The capital ex penditures of the several provinces are financed by redeemable loans from the Union govern ment. English and Dutch are the official lan guages and are treated as on an equal footing. The administration of native affairs and those pertaining to Asiatics is vested in the governor general in council.
The industrial development of South Africa will continue to be, undoubtedly, along agricul tural lines. The principal product is maize and the secondary products are bacon, beef, lard and hides. Conditions induced by the World War gave a great stimulus to wheat-growing and dairying. Sheep-farming is well established and capable of being greatly extended. An other prosperous industry is ostrich farming. Cotton, mohair and sugar and tea have become important products. The cultivation of tobacco and fruit is highly productive and wine-growing is in a flourishing condition. The aim will con tinue to be the upbuilding of an export trade and the extension of railway facilities from the agricultural regions. The wheat crop reached 5,500,000 bushels in the years of the war, while the maize crop of 1917 was 36,000,000 bushels. Butter to the amount of 19,412,000 pounds and cheese to the amount of 4,266,000 pounds were produced in 1917. The latest live stock census showed 5,796,949 cattle, 719,414 horses, 93,931 mules, 336,710 donkeys, 746,736 ostriches, 30,656,659 sheep, 11,762,979 goats, 1,081,600 pigs and 10,533,909 poultry. Wool ex
ports ill 1917 amounted to 117,657,142 pounds and of mohair to 3,690,828 pounds. In the same year hides and skins to the value of $13,000,000 were exported. Cotton-growing is on the in crease as the plant is a good drought-resistant. The crop is now about 3,000,000 annually. To bacco is produced to the extent of about 9,000, 000 pounds annually. Cane-sugar to the extent of 115,000 tons was produced in 1917. The tea crop in the same year was 1,747,000 pounds. The main source of South African prosperity is, however, gold, coal and diamond mining. The output of diamonds in 1917 was valued at 17,713,810 and of 1916 15,728,391, of which Cape Colony produced 14,057,928, the Trans vaal, 1933,643 and Orange Free State, 1736,820. The gold production of the Union was valued at 138,923,921 and was almost entirely credited to the Transvaal. Coal production in 1916 totaled 2,739,665 short tons, the Transvaal and Natal leading. Cape Colony led in salt produc tion, having more than half of the 106.303 tons mined. The latest statistics show that 340,000 persons (of all races) are engaged in mining, of which 47,000 are Europeans. Machinery, clothing, chemicals and dynamite are some of the principal imports. In 1917 3,889 vessels (overseas and coastwise) entered the ports of the Union; total tonnage 9,253,000 tons. The Colony is defended by a permanent force, coast garrison, citizen, naval volunteer and special reserves.
After the outbreak of the World War a re bellion, of which the chief leader was Christian De Wet, broke out, hut it was promptly sup pressed by General Botha. In addition to send ing contingents for service with the British forces to France and Belgium and later in East Africa and Nyassaland, 65.000 troops were raised and sent against German South-West Africa, a campaign that was brought to a suc cessful termination in July 1915. See WAR, EUROPEAN.
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