SOUTH AFRICA, UNION OF

federation of four Brit. colonies, 9. 32° 50’ E.); includes provinces of Cape of Good Hope, Natal, the Transvaal, and the Orange Free State, united in May 31, 1910; Union at present administers terr. of former Ger. S. W. Africa under a mandate: some native terr. is included for administrative purposes. The Union, which is a self governing Brit. Dominion, has a gov.- gen., and a Parliament consisting of Senate and House of A embly. Each prov. elects eight senators, and the gov.-gen. nominates eight. The Cape has 51 seats in House of A embiy, Transvaal 45, Natal and Orange Free State each 17; representation will change according to growth of population. Maximum duration of each Parliament is five years. Pretor i a is seat of administration, Cape Town the seat of legislature; there is no Union ‘capital,’ Provincial capitals are Cape Town, fontein. Other important towns are Johannes burg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Kimbereley. For local administration Durposes each prov. has an administrator {appointed for five years), and a Provincial Council (elected for three years) which can pa ‘ordinances’ dealing with such matters as roads, bridges, ete., and| elementary education. Higher education and all national questions are reserved for the Union Government and Parliament. Under the constitution Eng. and Dutch languages enjoy equal rights. Universities of S. Africa (with six constituent colleges), Cape Town, and Stellenbosch were reconstituted in 1918. Finance.—By the Financial Relations. Act, 1913, certain revenues are transferred or a igned to the provinces, with a subsidy from the Union funds, under reservations, of one-half of the ordinary ann. expenditure. A special subsidy of $500,000 each to Natal and the Orange Free State was provided to balance commencing expenditure. Law.—S. African law is mainly Roman Dutch. Criminal law resembles that of England. The seat of the supreme court is Bloemfontein Religion.—There is no State Church. The principal denominations are Dutch Reformed Church, Church of England, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics. Defense—In addition to.a permanent army, the Defense Act, 1912, provides for an active citizen force, all men between 17 and 25 being liable to mnilitary training for four years; it is hoped that the nece ary force will consist of volunteers. The S. African Mounted Riflemen is a permanent force. The Union makes an annual money contribution to the Brit. navy. During the World War the Union enlisted 136,070 whites and 92,837 natives, thus providing the forces nece ary for its defense, so that the regular Brit. troops were withdrawn; in-addition to service in Ger. W. and E. Africa and in Central Africa, white troops fought in France, and some 3,000 officers of the Royal Air Force served in France, Palestine, and Egypt, as well as in Africa. Agricult ure is important; corn and wheat are increasingly raised. Livestock includes cattle, horses, sheep, donkeys, goats, and ostriches; dairy farming is being extended; cotton, sugar, and tea are grown; among fruits, grapes, oranges, and pears are exported Irrigation is derived considerable stimulus during the World War: nearly 6,000 factories are in operatio n. Principal minerals are gold, diamonds, coal, copper, tin. Labor and the Color Problem.—Unskilled labor is largely in the hands of natives. Of ec; 700,000 adult native Males in the Union some work their own farms, and none work for more than six months of the year. Over 275,500 natives are employed in the mines, but native labor is also drawn from Port. E - Africa, The conditions of living and employment have been greatly improved in recent years. The color problem in S. Africa is of serious proportions. The natives are over three times as numerous as the whites. But considered apart from political agitation, the general de- ‘pendence on native labor greatly decreases the industrial demand for white immigration. The natives have almost a monopoly of the unskilled labor and domestic service of the country, a share in which is demanded by the whites. Inhabitants —About half the white pop. are of Dutch descent. English speaking inhabitants are chiefly centered in towns. Many colonials are of Fr. Huguenot and of Ger. descent. Inhabitants of non-Huropean descent in blooded Kaffirs, Zulus, etc.), besides colored people (half-castes), Indians, Malays, etc. The area in sq.m. and pop of the Union areas follows: | (122,000 whites). Orange Free State: whites). Total for Union: 473,096 sa. m.; pop. 6,000,000 (1,424,000 whites). History— The movement toward the federation of the Brit. colonies and the Dutch republics was begun in 1871; the Cape Parliament appointed a committee to consider the question. In 1877 Lord Carnarvon’s bill was pa ed by the Brit. Parliament and approved by the queen. The constitution provided for a gov.-gen., a isted by a privy council, a legislative council, and a house of a embly. The Union proved ineffective because, imposed from outside, it lacked local support. South African War.—The James on Raid, 1895, embittered Boer and Brit. relations. ‘The Dutch found a strong champion of their position in Kruger; the Brit. side was vigorously urged by Finally the Uitlander franchise question led to a Boer ultimatum, and the South African War broke out, Oct. 12, 1899. The allied Transvaal and Free State forces, commanded by Joubert, invaded Natal and Cape territory, and laid siege to Lady smith, Kim berley, and Mafeking. At first British met with series of reverses. At Modder River, Nov. 28, and Magersfontein, Dec. 12, Cronje defeated Methuen, who undertook relief of Kim berley (defended by Kekewich); Gatacre was beaten at Stromberg, Dec. 10, 1809; while Buller in attempting to relieve White in Lady smith suffered disaster at Colenso, Dec. 15. In Jan., 1900, Lord Roberts and Kitchener arrived, and the tide began to turn in Britain’s favor. French relieved Kim berley, Feb. 15; Cronje was forced to surrender at Paardeberg, Feb. 27; Lady smith was relieved, Feb. 28. Roberts entered Bloemfontein, March 13, and annexed the Orange Free State, May 24; entered Johannes burg, May 3i; Pretor i a, June 5, and annexed Transvaal, Sept. 1. Mafeking (defended by Baden Powell) was relieved on May 17. mishes, attacks on communications, etc. Delarey, de Wet, and others) gallantly held out till Kitchener (in supreme command since Roberts’s return) organized fenses, etc., and concentration camps for women, children, and refugees. Finally peace was signed at Vereeniging, May 31, 1902. The Boer forces were estimated at c. 100,000; when war closed over 200,000 Brit. troops (including many volunteers and_ colonial contingents) were in the field. After the South African war, however, the liberal treatment of the conquered Duteh states produced happy results, and the movement for a federation of the colonies grew rapidly among the colonists themselves. In Feb., 1909, the convention submitted to the parliaments. its report in the form of a draft Act of Union. As amended by the convention at Bloemfontein in May, in accordance with suggestions from the four houses, the Act was accepted by the S. African parliaments, and by Mr. Asquith’s government; and having been pa ed by the Parliament of the U. K., received the royal a ent, Sept. 20, 1909. Provision was made for the admi ion of contiguous Brit. territories. The official date for the commencement of the new government was May 31, 1910, the anniversary of the peace of 1902. The gov.-gen., Viscount Gladstone, and the ten ministers forming the executive council, were sworn in on May 31. ‘The first Parliament was opened by the Duke of Con naught, representing the king, in Nov., 1910. Political parties in the new Parliament have separated along lines of race rather than political creed. The distinction between Briton and Boer is still a living one; and while the feeling is le strong in the younger generation, it is accentuated among the leaders by differences of interest and occupation— the British living largely in the cities, the Boers in the country. An attempt by political leaders, at the time of the election, to combine on the best men in both parties—known as the ‘Fresh Start Movement’—proved unsucce ful, and party lines were maintained. In 1913 occurred serious strikes and riots by Wit waters rand miners; and Indian riots and disturbances in Natal were followed by a march into the transvaal. Indusirial troubles led to proclamation of martial law in 1914 and the deportation of strike leaders. During the World War a rebellion headed by Generals Beyers, De Wet, and Maritz ‘was suppre ed in 1914. Union forces reduced: Ger. S. W. Africa, July, 1915, and were dispatched to Ger. KE. Africa, fn 1916. General Botha died 1919, and was succeeded as premier by General Smuts. See Map Arrica.