2

k.—s

I.—GRIEVANCES- continued.

History. References. lemar. :s. Fraj nchise — conti .nchise — continued. stipulated that no person should vote for a member of, or become eligible for, a seat in the first Volksraad until the lapse of ten years after he had become eligible for a seat in the second Eaad. As no person could be a member of the second Eaad before he was thirty years old, the effect of this law was that no alien could acquire the franchise for the first Eaad until after he was forty years of age. Even this "right" was made subject to the first Volksraad resolving to admit the particular alien, and was to be enjoyed only in pursuance of regulations "to be framed." " Naturalisation " does not, in the Eepublic, mean incorporation into the State. It is only a stepping-stone on a precarious path towards civic rights. The aspirant can never at all get the vote for the President or Commander-in-Chief —officials chosen by plebiscite, from which the Uitlander is excluded. Yet immediately he is naturalised he, having lost his former citizenship, becomes liable to all the burdens of citizenship, including military service. 6. In 1893 it was enacted that none who might receive the franchise under the foregoing condition should have the right of voting at the election of President or Commandant-General. This was not made effective, even in pretence, for no regulations were even framed. 7. In 1894 it was enacted that the children of aliens born in the Transvaal < should receive the full franchise only ] after making claim and waiting for the ] full fourteen years, as above ; and that even the children of naturalised aliens should only have the vote, though born in the country, provided they claimed the right at the age of sixteen. Parliament 311, p. 249 ; pp. 89, 226; pp. 92, 19. This was the most serious violation of the vested rights of those who had entered the country under the guarantees of the Convention and the promise underlying it that equal treatment would be accorded to all; and in the case of those who had taken the oath of allegiance under the law of 1890 it was still more injurious. All future franchise reform was also barred by declaring that future amendments must be published for one year, and then should not be considered in the Eaad until two-thirds burghers had approved. Parliamentary Papers 311, p. 249 ; C.-7933, pp. 89, 226; C.-7933, pp. 92, 19. Education. The absence of all State provision for education of children in the language of three-fourths of the people is another of the grievances only felt during the last few years with the growth of the young Uitlander population. The Eev. S. J. Du Toit was first Superintendent of Education till about 1890; then Dr. Mansfeld, a Hollander. Now, Dutch is the sole medium of instruction in Standard IV. and upwards in all schools receiving State aid. There is no grant in aid of voluntary educational efforts. No provision for compelling attendance.