25 JUNE 1927, Page 2

On Tuesday, in the South African House of Assembly the

clause in the Flag Bill presenting a new design was carried by a majority of twenty. The new design is horizontal stripes of orange, white and blue—the flag of the House of Orange—with • a shield in the middle bearing the Union Jack and the flags of the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State. On the fourth quarter four stars stand for the _four Provinces of the Union. It is not clear why General Hertzog's Govern ment should have borrowed the flag of the House of Orange, as it is by no means certain that the Dutch discoverers of South Africa sailed under it. It is just as likely that they used the present red, white and blue Dutch flag. The fact, however, that the Union Jack has been bodily introduced is a distinct concession.

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