Page:South Africa Act 1909.djvu/36

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72
South Africa Act, 1909.

A.D. 1909.

Free trade throughout the Union.

136. There shall be free trade throughout the Union, but until Parliament otherwise provides the duties of custom and of excise leviable under the laws existing in any of the Colonies at the establishment of the Union shall remain in force.

Equality of English and Dutch languages.

137. Both the English and Dutch languages shall be official languages of the Union, and shall be treated on a footing of equality, and possess and enjoy equal freedom, rights, and privileges; all records, journals, and proceedings of Parliament shall be kept in both languages, and all Bills, Acts, and notices of general public importance or interest issued by the Government of the Union shall be in both languages.

Naturalisation.

[1]138. All persons who have been naturalised in any of the Colonies shall be deemed to be naturalised throughout the Union.

Administration of justice.

139. The administration of justice throughout the Union shall be under the control of the Minister of State, in whom shall be vested all powers, authorities, and functions which shall at the establishment of the Union be vested in the Attorneys-General of the Colonies, save and except all powers, authorities, and functions relating to the prosecution of crimes and offences, which shall in each province be vested in an officer to be appointed by the Governor-General-in-Council, and styled the Attorney-General of the province, who shall also discharge such other duties as may be assigned to him by the Governor-General-in-Council: Provided that in the province of the Cape of Good Hope the Solicitor-General for the Eastern Districts and the Crown Prosecutor for Griqualand West shall respectively continue to exercise the powers and duties by law vested in them at the time of the establishment of the Union.

Existing officers.

140. Subject to the provisions of the next succeeding section, all officers of the public service of the Colonies shall at the establishment of the Union become officers of the Union.

Reorganization of public departments.

[2]141. (1) As soon as possible after the establishment of the Union, the Governor-General-in-Council shall appoint a public service commission to make recommendations for such reorganization and readjustment of the departments of the public service as may be necessary. The commission shall also make recommendations in regard to the assignment of officers to the several provinces.

(2) The Governor-General-in-Council may after such commission has reported assign from time to time to each


  1. See also the Naturalization of Aliens Act, 1910 (Act No. 4 of 1910, post p. 130), in particular section nine.
  2. For appointment of Public Service Commission see Govt. Notice No. 326 of 1910 (Gazette, 12th August, 1910, p. 838).