CHAP. 1] ORIGIN AND HISTORY 51
in the interests of the natives, free from all parliamentary
control. But in any case a general election must precede
any thought of granting responsible government. Such an
election held in 1890 * resulted in the appointment of fourteen
members in favour of and ten against responsible govern-
ment, the majority representing the coast and the border
districts, where the Boer influence prevailed, and the
minority coming from Pietermaritzburg and Umvoti. A
Bill was accordingly drafted by a committee to establish
responsible government, which made provision for a legis-
lature of two houses, the upper nominee, for a permanent
Under-Secretary for Native Affairs, and for the provision of
an annual sum for native purposes. It was also provided
that Bills affecting only a class of the population must be
Passed by a two-thirds majority on the second reading and
third reading in the Legislative Assembly. The Government
was to be administered by six ministers, and the constitution
of the houses could only be altered by the concurrence of
an absolute majority for the time being of the members
of both houses on the second and third readings. Provision
was also made for pensions to officers retiring on political
grounds.? The Bill was, however, altered in the Council
80 as to substitute one for two houses. It also pur-
ported to transfer to the Government of the day all the
Powers of the Governor as Supreme Chief of the natives,
which he had exercised hitherto without any control what-
ever. Native interests were to be protected by reservation of
bills for the royal assent and by preliminary consideration by
a committee of the Legislative Council. The Governor, in
sending home the Bill,2 deprecated the proposal for a single
chamber, as affording risk of hasty legislation, considered
that he should be left free to refuse, if he thought fit,
ministerial advice as to his action as Supreme Chief, though
he would as a rule accept it, leaving ministers in case of differ-
ence to initiate legislation to effect their ends, which legisla-
tion would be reserved for the royal assent. He doubted if
the provision for the natives was adequate, but he thought
' Parl. Pap., C. 6487, p- 25. * Tbid., pp. 28 seq. * Ibid., pp. 36 seq.
"no
