1074 ADMINISTRATION AND LEGISLATION [parTvV
expenses of the Commission shall be borne by the respective
territories in proportion to their respective revenues.
The Governor-General in Council shall annually prepare
a report on the territories, which is to be laid before both
Houses of Parliament.!
These provisions, which represent the principle on which
the administration of the territories is at present carried out,
can be altered by an Act of the Union Parliament, but any
Bill affecting the provisions of the schedule must be reserved
for the signification of His Majesty’s pleasure, and cannot
therefore come into force without the approval of His
Majesty’s Government. At least this seems to be the force
of 5. 25 of the Schedule.
The protection thus assured for the natives of the terri-
tories on their becoming part of the Union appears as com-
plete as it can be made by law, and should go far to obviate
any fears which may exist as to any loss of native rights on
the Protectorates becoming part of the South African Union.
The Basuto chiefs appear to have accepted as adequate the
assurances given as to their future in the Union, and in any
case the transfer cannot, it is obvious, be carried out at any
very early date, as no alteration in existing conditions could
conveniently be made pending the coming into full operation
of the Union Government.
At the same time, the surrender of control over the Pro-
tectorates will necessitate the definitive assumption by the
Union Government of responsibility for military control, so
that the Imperial garrison may be reduced to a mere guard
for the naval establishment at the Cape, or be totally with-
drawn.* If Imperial troops are to be potentially available for
maintaining order among the natives as at present—for they
would and must be used in any case of disaster to the Colonial
militia—the Imperial Government cannot, of course, renounce
control, as it remains responsible to the Imperial Parliament.
' This is in imitation of the present reports issued by the Colonial Office.
Similarly reports on Papua and on the Indians are presented to the
Australian and Canadian Parliaments every year respectively.
* Cf. Mr. Molteno in House of Commons Debales. ix. 986.
