Jackson advocate., 1957-12-07

tContlnued from Page One)
prisingly, opposed to premature
majority rule.
Call for Decision
The same sort of situation ex-
lists in Kenya, Nigeria, on the
other hand, is like Ghana and
should soon achieve dominion sta
tus.
There is, thus, the rather para
doxical situation Of TIE more back
ward African colonies squirting
ahead of the more advanced states
in the race for independence and
self-determination.
AS this weeks Commons debate
has shown, the road to multiracial-
ism is exceptionally complicated
and full of pitfalls.
The Central African Federation
consists of Southern Rhodesia with
(according to the latest figures
available here) 17S,000 Europeans,
2,290,000 Africans, and 1920
Asians; Northern Rhodesia with
$4,000 Europeans, 2,110,00O Afri-
cans, and 7,100 Asians, and Nyasa-
land with $500 Europeans, $780,
900 Africans, and $500 Asians.
Total population of the fedora
tion is thus given as 7,26,900, of
which 250,S00 are white, $780,
900 Negro and 30,100 Asian. AS
might be expected, the proportion
of Negroes to whites is increasing.
The British parliament was call
ed on this week to give it's deci-
sion on the proposals of the federal
government to amend the structure
of the federal legislature.
Written into the federation's con-
stitution is body known as the
African Affairs Board whose duty
is to safeguard African interests.
This board decided that the con-
stitutional changes passed by the
federal government amounted to
"differentiating measure" threat
ening Africans with disabilities to
which Europeans are not subject
ed.
Therefore, under the Constitu-
ton, the matter had to be referred
to the British Parliament in West
minister. The British Government
decided to overrule the African
Affairs Board, as it was entitled to
do, and laid before the British
Parliament a draft order in coun-
Gil asserting to the proposed con-
stitutional changes in the fedora
ton.
Approval Needed
But the government, of course,
had to have the British Parlia-
ment's approval for its action. The
Laborite opposition decided to op-
pose the government on the
grounds that the proposed consti-
tutional changes would discrimi-
nate against Africans.
So the battle was joined all day
Nov. 25 in the ancient precincts
of Westminster with a moderate
ly filled, but keenly attentive cham
Der. And up on the public gal
leries there glided in and out from
time to time Africans with Won
drous robes, soft-footed and digni-
fled. l9ss d .EHQife n. soI131
The government had comfort
able majority of 81 votes to 245.
And this, in effect. means a VIC
tory for the federation government
in Salisbury over tie African At
fairs Board. .,
The plan is that the federation
Legislature shall be enlarged from
35 to SO members with the num-
Der of African members increased
from 6 to 12.-~It is also proposed
to give the vote to more Africans.
The African Boards case. which
was supported by the socialist op-
position in the British Commons, is
that a distinction must be. drawn
between AFRICAN members" and
members representing Africans.
The board argues that the addi-
tional African members would, in
fact, be chosen by an electorate
predominantly European and would
therefore, tend to take the Euro
pean side in dispute touching on
racial relations.