§ MR. DRAGE (Derby)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, under the existing law in the Transvaal, no Roman Catholic may be employed by the Government in any capacity.
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. BRODRICK,) Surrey, GuildfordMy right hon. friend has asked me to answer, in his absence, the questions addressed to him to-day. Under the Grondwet the President and all members of the Executive Council and both Volksraads are required to be Protestants, and it is understood that under the law regulating 227 the appointment of officials this rule applies to all officials.
§ SIR ALFRED HICKMAN (Wolverhampton, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, according to the Grondwet or Constitution of the South African Republic, the only persons eligible for the Volksraad are members of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Church who have been enfranchised burghers for three years; and whether, under the franchise law recently proposed by the Government of that Republic, Uitlanders to be thereby enfranchised will be eligible without those qualifications.
§ MR. BRODRICK (for Mr. J. CHAMBERLAIN)Under the Grondwet members of either Raad must be members of a Protestant Church. Members of the First Raad must have the full franchise, and Members of the Second Raad must have been enfranchised for the two immediately preceding years. These qualifications are not affected by the new franchise law.