The Nome daily nugget., 1937-08-16

ly as historical traditions. not as real loyalties and convictions. It was they whose insistence that these diff ferences be wiped out once and for all impressed the nation with the ne- cesslty for taking up the real business l at hand-that of administering good l government As a result of the coal ition, the status act, satisfactory in the main to both parties, was effected. eoers in Opposition.
 The Boer in South Africa has long | opposed the Out-and-out political dOmi- nance of the Union by London, as pro- | posed by the Brlton, for fear of los ing his identity. South Africa Is a region of two separate and powerful cultures, and It's people speak two 1 languages. There is. of course, the | English with which we are more or less familiar. And there Is the Dutch | offspring. Afrikaans.
 The New Deal for South Africa paci- fies both factions by fostering both cultures. Education is administered in both Newspapers and magazines are published in both languages.
 That the status act, with Its admis- sion of South Afrlca's virtually absO- lute independence, applies as well to all of the British Dominions, is im- piled in the fact that 1t includes in its preamble the Balfour declaration ob- tained by General Hertzog when he headed the nationalist government of 1924. This calls the Dominions "au- tonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any respect of their domestic or exter- nal affairs, though united by com l mon allegiance to the crown, and free ly associated as members of the Brit ish Commonwealth of Nations"
 Further removing British political dominance from the Dominions was the Statute of Westminster, which was passed by the British parliament in 1881. It closely allied the consti- tutional development of the other De- minions of the empire with that of the Union of South Africa. The Bal four declaration and the Statute of Westminster are masterpieces of phraseology which carried soothing balm to both South African factions. The status act is the application of them to the South African constitution.
 Two important concessions are made to the DOminions in the Statute of Westminster. It gives the Dominion government power to amend, repeal or modify any British act which has been incorporated in the law of the Dominion. It further states that no British law may be applied to any Do- minion unless that Dominion has re- quested the application and consented to 1t.
 Really Independent.
 The status act itself declares that no British legislation shall be consid. cred in effect in the Union of South Africa until 1t is re-enacted by the South African parliament. The "chief executive" is defined as the king, who shall act upon the advice of his South African ministers.
 In South Africa the kings represent. ative Is the gOvernor-general. Neither he nor the king have any powers of veto or reservation of bill. The gov. ernor-general may, however, simply re. turn bill with his opinion for further consideration If he thinks 1t wise The king does not retain the power to name the prime minister and to dis. solve parliament.
 The case of war would be the real test. For. with the clearly worded status act, the Union of South Africa can now decide for itself whether or not to remain neutral If the empire enters a war. Says Clarke:
 Tt might even secede altogether though not apparently, by legal proc ess. Some commentators in England as well as in South Africa feel dis turbed by these possibilities. But equal status necessarily implies them and legal barriers would be flimsy de lenses against the strong political pres sures when the time of crisis comes. .
 It will be remembered that when