THE PROGRESS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN NYASALAND
| Published date | 01 October 1955 |
| Date | 01 October 1955 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1955.tb00112.x |
| Author | H. G. Graham‐Jolly |
188
JOURNAL
OF
AFRICAN
ADMINISTRATION
Local Government Law provide for two methods of
election-either
by
the
,
whispering'
method or by
the
use of
symbols-in
practice all direct elections
have
been conducted with
the
use of symbols, in accordance with current
policy. This method of voting has undoubtedly been a
great
success, and
very few complaints indeed have arisen from it.
The
present Regional House
of Assembly was elected in 1951 through asystem of electoral colleges,
but
when
elections for
the
Federal Legislature were conducted towards
the
end of 1954,
with single-member constituencies throughout
the
region,
the
symbol method
of voting was everywhere employed.
In
consequence, even in divisions where
local government councils
have
not
yet
been established, there is familiarity
with
the
symbol system. This should prove of great value when their local
government elections come to be held during
the
course of this year.
The
local government franchise is
at
present limited to persons who
pay
direct
tax
or who
pay
acertain minimum
rate
to
the
local authority. As
the
minimum
rate, when specified, is usually a figure higher
than
that
generally levied, the
provision, in effect, limits
the
franchise to males over
the
age of sixteen
and
to
a few wealthy
market
women who are called upon to
pay
income
tax
under
the
Direct Taxation Ordinance. Throughout
the
region, voters are registered
and
only those persons whose names appear on
the
list of registered voters are
permitted
to
take
part
in
the
elections. A further feature of all elections in
the
Western Region is
that
there are no multi-member wards. This simplifies
the
voting process.
There is no
doubt
whatsoever
that
the
present system of voting at elections
in
the
Western Region gives great satisfaction to all concerned
and
that
the
days
of voting by a show of hands or by lining up behind
the
candidate of one's choice
have passed.
THE
PROGRESS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
IN NYASALAND
By
H. G. Graham-Jolly,
District
Officer,
Nyasaland
T
HE
Nyasaland Local Government (District Councils) Ordinance was
enacted in December, 1953,
and
the
first district council to be established
was
that
of Cholo, in May, 1954.
Its
constitution provides for a chairman,
who is
the
district commissioner,
and
20 councillors, of whom 12 are Africans,
6Europeans
and
2 Asians. During 1954 district councils have been established
for
the
Ncheu, Dedza,
Nkata
Bay, Karonga
and
Rumpi Districts.
The
establishment of local government bodies at district level is in accordance
with
the
recommendations contained in
the
report on local government in
Nyasaland by Mr. R. S. Hudson,
C.M.G.,
Head
of
the
African Studies Branch,
Colonial Office, who conducted asurvey in Nyasaland
at
the
end of 1950.
Before
the
enactment of
the
ordinance in 1953, local government centred on
the
native authorities, established under
the
Native
Authority
Ordinance,
which was enacted in 1933. Since 1947, however, efforts have been directed
towards bringing
the
individual native authorities within an administrative
district to work in co-operation with each
other:
by
the
end of 1953 it
had
become customary for all
the
native authorities to make joint rules for
the
whole district,
and
in all
but
one district
the
native
treasuries
had
been
federated on a district basis.
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