ted. The chaotic Statute Book of the late
Republic had been overhauled. A large number of laws, some obsolete,
some impliedly repealed, but still appearing on the Statute Book, and
others unsuited to the new _regime_, had been repealed by
proclamation; and at the same time many ordinances dealing with
matters of fundamental importance had been prepared for submission to
the future Legislative Council at the first opportunity.

The report of Mr. Duncan, the Controller of the Treasury, showed that
the revenue actually being collected, mainly from the customs, the
Post Office, mining and trading licences, and native passes, would
provide for the ordinary expenditure of the civil administration. And,
in point of fact, when the accounts were made up at the end of the
first financial year of the new colonies (July 1st, 1901-June 30th,
1902) it was found that the Orange River Colony had a balance in hand
of L231,000, while in the Transvaal the expenditure on civil
administration[313] had been covered by the revenue, which had assumed
already the respectable figure of L1,393,000.

The Departments of Mines and Native Affairs had been reorganised, and
the work done by Mr. Wybergh and Sir Godfrey Lagden respectively in
these departments, in co-operation with Sir Richard Solomon, had
produced the administrative reforms immediately required to regulate
the employment of native labourers in the mines. By proclamations
amending or repealing existing laws and making fresh provisions where
necessary the native had been protected against oppression and robbery
at the hands of unscrupulous labour-agents, and the liquor traffic,
the chief cause of his insubordination and incapacity, had been
effectively repressed. Considerations of public security made the
maintenance of the "pass" system necessary, but modifications were
introduced into the working of the system sufficient to protect the
educated native from unnecessary humiliation and the native labourer
from excessive punishment. In addition to this departmental work two
commissions had been appointed by Lord Milner to investigate two
matters of direct and immediate concern to the gold industry. The
first of these, over which Sir Richard Solomon presided, was engaged
in reviewing the existing gold laws, with a view to the introduction
of new legislation embodying such modifications as the best local
experience and the financial interests of the colony might require.
The second was emp