LORD ELLENBOROUGHMy Lords, I rise to ask His Majesty's Government if they will cause to be printed and issued as Parliamentary Papers the laws in compliance with which the people of Natal were recently consulted by referendum, on the question of the Union of South Africa, any regulations that may have been made in addition to those laws with the view of facilitating the voting on that referendum, any official reports or representations that may have been laid before our own Government or that of Natal touching the circumstances or results of that voting, and also any information of importance connected with that referendum that it may be in their power to give.
§ THE LORD PRIVY SEAL AND SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (THE EARL OF CREWE)My Lords, I think it may be of interest to the noble Lord and to the House if I state very briefly what occurred with regard to the use of the referendum in Natal. The draft Union Constitution was accepted by the other South African Colonies by Parliamentary Resolution, but at quite an early stage of the discussion the Natal Government promised that it should be submitted to the votes of the electors of Natal for acceptance or rejection. Therefore an Act was passed last April to enable the referendum to be taken; that Act was assented to by the Governor, and the Royal Assent was not withheld. It provided that a ballot should be taken after due notice, the electors being required to vote "Yes" or "No" on the question,"Are you in favour of the draft South African Act?" Any person who was qualified to vote in an election for the Legislative Chamber might vote once in any district in which he was registered. The ballot was held on June 10, and 11,121 voted "Yes" and 3,701 voted "No," 371 thus giving a majority of 7,420 for the Union. The number of electors who recorded their votes was 14,821, and the total number of electors registered in 1908 was 25,463. At the last General Election in 1906 15,152 voted. The noble Lord will see that the vote on the referendum was only slightly less than the vote at the previous General Election. I shall be glad to lay on the Table Papers embodying these facts.