14 JANUARY 1905, Page 2

citizenship with an average income of £150 (equal to about

£70 in this country), or prior enrolment in the First Volksraad list of voters. The High Commissioner declared himself generally in sympathy with. these principles, which seem to us essentially reasonable. He pointed out that he had no power to speak authoritatively on the nature of the new Constitution, the settlement of which was in the hands of the Imperial Government. He was in favour of a division of electoral districts on the basis of voters rather than population, though he admitted that there were arguments on the other side. We hope that this course will be adopted, since the other would mean a differen- tiation in favour of the country districts for which we see no warrant. The deputation also urged the inclusion in the Executive of certain elected representatives, a proposal to which Lord Milner was apparently sympathetic. We may note that he seemed to hint at a possible opposition to the automatic redistribution principle on the part of the Home Government, which we sincerely trust will not be the case.