CO885-(18-19) — Page 401

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O.885

19 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- | COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

20

the privilege should not be exacting, le degree of learning, such as reading g, either in English or Zulu, good and conformity to civilised customs,' oted in the footnote at page 18 the posed qualifications for race franchise. fly, I would lay great stress on a lan- and would make knowledge of English, we can, without awakening jealousy, non of citizenship. The natives are jects, and usually loyal British sub- are likely to be kept in their loyalty g the language of the Empire anl Farded for learning it-thereby be nore integral part of the whole com- As the Governor of Fiji lately told his : Conneil :- After all, it is education glish language that the Fijian native dis if he is ever to play the part of an English subject."* Further, where we

as in South Africa, not with dans or Buddhists with religions to be but with adherents of savage tenets I would frankly make Christianity a on also. "The Commission is satisfied reat element for the civilisation of the to be found in Christianity." (Report uth African Native Affairs Cominis- 41.)

bvious, as said above, that the tran- itizenship of clans or individuals must the one hand through gradual exemp- special laws and rules, eg, from I tenure (an exemption which should and not early-for, until the native d, it is a safeguard against unscrupulous u), from courts of law for native cases n special taxes for natives only, and so

d, on the other hand, through gradual But the most difficult point would ig fixed the standard and the qualitica- establish a definite authority and a nachinery for making the law or the rk and live. The personal element all important. Some more or less ent authority, not changing with parties ted legislature, trained Residents, acting ort as revising barristers and under the

a governor or paramount chief, or under

ent Board of some kind, would alone

ntinuity and wisdom in working out

insoluble problem.

here are some non-political measures autions which apply to natives all the

er,

and most of all in their non-citizen

ld be useless and superfluous to en-

on these, upon which volumes have

1 could be, written; but, if it is desired

some uniform policy or standard of regard to native races based on accurate

ge to the Legislative Council, Foth October,

C.

21

knowledge, and to collect, compare, revise, and utilise the manifold information which comes to hand with regard to the working of this or that class of measure in different countries and`

different it is worth considering→ among

races,

(i) whether a standing advisory con inittee for the purpose at this office with (in addition to members of the office) men on it who have known the different lands and races might not be of al- vantage;

(ii) whether it is not possible to draw up on certain subjects some very simple model laws or rules, or both, which can be mude a groundwork in the different colonies and be modified to suit local conditions. In a much simpler matter --that of prisons and prison discipline- we have had a model set of very ele mentary rules, which have been sent out here and there and have helped con- siderably in getting the different Colonies into line; and

(iii) whether, if it is impossible to draw up such models, and indeed in any case, we should not at any rate keep on stock, perpetually revised up to date, printed summaries of the various measures on given subjects which have been tried among native races in different parts of the Empire.

As to (ii), in regard to such a question as Drink, to take an instance, I do not see why we should not have model laws and model licensing regulations, ie., the skeleton of laws and of rules, embodying so much and so much only as would be generally admitted to be, irrespective of the particular native race and of special local circumstances, right in principle and-subject to modifications according to time and place and conditions -not impracticable.

In regard to Usury again, as to which see what is said on pages 31-2 of the Natal report, there might well be a model ordinance, drawn up after comparison of any existing laws or rules on the subject in tropical colonies, and embody- ing whatever restrictions the Secretary of State favours. Personally I should like to make any loan to a native not in the citizen stage irrecover- able at law, passing some such ordinance as the Ceylon Ordinance No. 2 of 1899 "to protect public servants from legal proceedings in respect of certain liabilities." But in regard to this and to other subjects the main points upon which I would wish to insist are-

(a) that, if it is at all possible, it would be at once useful and politic to have, and to be able to say that we have, in such cases as those to which I have referred, the outline of some kind of approved law or rules always on hand and available, and

(b) that such outline should as far as