a a ment by the Governor of five officials, viz. :—a Colonial Secretary, an Attorney-General, a Treasurer, a Commissioner of Crown Lands and Public Works, and a Secretary for Native Affairs, who should all be members of the Executive Council, and eligible as members of either House of Parliament. It further provided that a Minister, on being elected as member of one House, should have the right to take part in the debates, but not to vote in the other House. This latter provision has proved a very useful one, and has given successive Premiers a larger scope than they would otherwise have had in the selection of their colleagues. Upon the proclamation of the Act, it was considered to be a matter of course that Mr. Molteno should be asked to form the first Ministry The provision which enables Cabinet Ministers to speak in either House of Parliament was unique in the constitutions of the Colonies, and it has subsequently been fol. lowed, owing to its success, in Natal. It appears to have originated as follows. When representative institutions were introduced in the Cape, a special provision in the 79th section of the Constitution Ordinance forbade Cabinet Ministers sitting in Parliament; they were nevertheless empowered to appear and speak in both Houses. This provision had worked well. Mr. Porter, in introducing the Responsible Government Bill, supported it for the following reasons :— The Cabinet in England consists, I think, of sixteen members, besides a host of Under-Secretaries, many of whom have seats in Parliament, so that nothing of this kind is necessary there. But we have a small body of Ministers-only five members . . . . and I think we should ... like these five officers to sit here to speak, to explain, to enforce .... For suppose the Minister for Crown Lands and Public Works to belong to the other House, and information should be required here in connection with his office, would it not be better that he should be able to come here and explain himself, rather than that a colleague sitting See Law 14 of 1893, of Natal also Todd's Parliamentary Government in the British Colonies, 2nd edition, p. 61. in this House should go to him and get ‘crammed' before he could give us the information or explanation required ? ' He explained that the section constituting the offices of Commissioner of Crown Lands and Public Works and Secretary for Native Affairs followed an exactly similar provision in the Act constituting the Dominion of Canada. It is interesting to observe the confidence which by this time prevailed that responsible government was to be a reality and not a sham. An occurrence such as the dismissal of a Ministry possessing a majority in Parliament was looked upon as an absurdity. Mr. Porter said : —I for one do not anticipate that after we have passed responsible government any Governor will dare to oppose the principles of responsible government which will then be carried out, and render it impossible for any Ministry to keep in power in opposition to it. It is contrary to reason to suppose it.' He was too sanguine, as the sequel will show. CHAPTER IX ADMINISTRATION OF RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 1872-1873 Policy of Cabinet-Colonial control of Natives-Solution of South African Troubles-Sir George Grey's Policy continued-Education-University— Railways-Extension of Boundaries-Session of 1873-Seven Circles BillFinances-Review of Session-Success of Measures-Visit to Eastern Provinces-Enthusiastic Reception. MR. MOLTENO had at last seen the change brought about which he had advocated from the first days of the Parliament itself. It was now for him to make good his reiterated statements that the Colony was able to manage its own affairs, and was not making a fatal mistake in relying upon its own sons rather than upon talent imported from elsewhere. In conjunction with Mr. Porter and Mr. Solomon he had resisted the efforts of the autocratic Governor, Sir Philip Wodehouse; we have followed the struggle in these pages, and have seen that the battle was well fought and well won. These statesmen, who knew the country and its sturdy inhabitants well, clearly foresaw and predicted that though the most law-abiding of populations, yet they would not submit to be taxed and governed by a Government out of touch and sympathy with them. As Mr. Molteno said in Parliament: This population is a quiet and long-suffering one, but if taxes and contributions are to be wrung from it by a Government with whom the people are not in sympathy, they would not endure it, and only overwhelming force could compel them.' They saw that the time had come when the Government could be carried on successfully only by men who thoroughly understood the people, and whose Shanga Gubulakayo Nylstroom 8 TRAN ORANGE FREE STAT Amberley Winbur Caledon BASUTOLAND E GKe Bast Lond |