(3.) Est interdit dans la juridiction du Royaume l'équipement ou l'armement de tout navire destiné à croiser ou à concourir à des opérations hostiles contre une Puissance en paix avec le Royaume. Est également interdit le départ hors de sa juridiction de tout navire destiné à croiser ou à concourir à des opérations hostiles et qui aurait été dans ladite juridiction adapté tout ou en partie à des usages de guerre. DECREE of the Danish Government giving effect to the Agreement between Denmark and Germany for the Reciprocal Extradition, under the circumstances given belon, of Persons who have intentionally been guilty of causing Bodily Injury to others.-Dated Copenhagen, September 2, 1912. (Translation.) THE following Agreement has been concluded between Denmark and Germany : "Between Denmark and Germany there shall be reciprocal extradition of persons guilty of causing intentionally bodily injury, when in committing the offence circumstances are present or consequences ensue which, according to the law of the contracting countries, increase the penalty applicable." The foregoing is hereby brought to the general knowledge, with the notice that the Agreement comes into force on the 8th November, 1912. Ministry of Justice, September 2, 1912. BÜLOW. DECLARATION by Denmark, Norway, and Sweden for the Adoption by the three States of similar Rules of Neutrality. Signed at Stockholm, December 21, 1912.* LES Gouvernements de Norvège, de Danemark et de Suède, ayant, en vue de fixer des règles similaires de neutralite s'accordant avec les dispositions conventionnelles signées à La Haye, entamé des négociations qui ont abouti à un accord sur tous les points de principe comme le prouvent les textes ci-joints des règles adoptées séparément par les trois Gouvernements respectives, et appréciant à sa juste valeur l'importance qu'il y aurait à ce que l'accord si heureusement existant soit maintenu également à l'avenir, sont convenus qu'aucun des trois Gouverne *Norwegian "Official Gazette," December 31, 1912. ments n'apportera des changements aux règles approuvées par lui sans avoir préalablement averti les deux autres assez tôt pour permettre un échange de vues dans la matière. En foi de quoi les soussignés, dûment autorisés à cet effet par leurs Gouvernements, ont signé la présente déclaration et y ont apposé leurs cachets. Fait en trois exemplaires à Stockholm, le 21 décembre, 1912. (L.S.) BRUNCHORST. (L.S.) OTTO SCAVENIUS. DESPATCH from His Majesty's Agent and Consul-General at Cairo transmitting the Organic and Electoral Laws of Egypt, promulgated July 21, 1913.* SIR, Viscount Kitchener to Sir Edward Grey. Cairo, July 6, 1913. I HAVE the honour to transmit to you herewith the text of the new Organic and Electoral Laws of Egypt. As it has occurred to me that it might be difficult for members of Parliament to fully realize the alterations that have been made in these Laws, I beg to forward a summary of the changes in question, which gives in a concise form the effect of the new provisions. As the preamble of the Organic Law shows, the principal features of the amendments introduced in the Organic and Electoral Laws were the amalgamation, in one body, of the Legislative Council and General Assembly and the adoption of a more liberal and more rational system of election. The amalgamation of the two deliberative assemblies was the more justifiable in that the duality of representative bodies in Egypt in no way corresponded to the system of a Higher and a Lower House such as exist in most foreign countries. The General Assembly rarely met-usually once every two years-and had no other effective legislative duties than those of approving new direct, personal, or land taxes. The Legislative Council, on the other hand, though exercising purely consultative functions, took, as a matter of fact, quite an effective part in the elaboration of laws. It seemed, therefore, advisable to enlarge the composition of the Legislative Conncil, and to confer upon that body the powers hitherto exercised by the General Assembly. * Parliamentary paper "Egypt No. 3 (1913).” ORGANIC LAW. 1. Composition of the Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Council is at present composed of 30 members, 14 of whom are permanent members, including the president and 1 vice-president, who are nominated directly by decree, and 16 elected members, 14 of whom are elected in the third degree by the provincial councils, at the rate of 1 member for each council, and 2 are elected in the second degree by the delegates of the towns and governorates. The General Assembly is composed, besides the 6 Ministers, of the 30 members of the Legislative Council and 46 notables, elected in the second degree by the electors-delegate, which makes a total of 82 members. The new Legislative Assembly will be composed of the 6 Ministers, who are ex officio members; of 66 members elected, in the second degree, by the electors-delegate; and of 17 members nominated by the Government, thus making a total of 89 members. As may be seen, the composition of the new Legislative Assembly presents the following principal advantages over that of the old Legislative Council:— 1. The number of members is almost three times as large (89 instead of 30). 2. The proportion of elected members to nominated members is greater in the new Assembly than in the old Council (viz., 66 elected members, out of 89 members in the Legislative Assembly, as against 16 elected members out of 30 members in the Legislative Council). The number of elected members, fixed at 66, ensures a representation of the population at about the rate of one representative for every 200,000 inhabitants. 3. The electoral system has been materially improved, in the sense that elections will now, in all cases, be made in two degrees, and that the number of electors-delegate has been largely increased. Under the new Electoral Law there will be 1 elector-delegate for every 50 inhabitants throughout the country, whereas previously each town, village, or kism, whatever the importance of its population, was entitled to 1 electordelegate only. It results clearly, from a comparison of the old system of election of the members delegated to the Legislative Council with that now adopted for the elected members of the new Legislative Assembly, that the latter system will ensure a far more real and adequate representation of the country. Under the old system the elector-delegate of an important town, such as Tanta or Assiut, had no more importance as regards the exercise of the suffrage than the elector-delegate of some insignificant little village; while each of the Provincial Councils, whatever the number of its members or the importance of the population of its mudirieh, sent but one delegate to the Legislative Council. Under the new system, on the other hand, the whole country will be divided into 66 electoral circumscriptions of about equal importance, and all the electors-delegate will be on the same footing, since there will be 1 delegate for every 50 inhabitants in the towns as well as in the rural districts. 4. The system of nominated members is intended to ensure the representation of minorities and of interests which in the result may remain unrepresented by the elected portion of the Assembly. The Organic Law imposes on the Government, in the event of a minimum representation not being obtained by certain classes of the population by means of the elections, the obligation to select the members which it has the right to nominate in such a manner as to ensure such minimum representation. Thus, the Copts will always have 4 representatives in the new Assembly; the Bedouins, 3; merchants, 2; medical men, 2; engineers, 1; representatives of general or religious education, 2; the municipal representatives, 1. This system is a manifest improvement on the former condition of affairs, and is a proof of the Government's desire to procure for the different classes of the community that degree of representation to which they are fairly entitled. 5. Another improvement of considerable importance consists in the provision that one-third of the elected members shall be renewed every two years instead of one-half every three years; that nominated members are also subject to renewal, one-third of their number going out of office every two years, and that they are appointed for six years, like their elected colleagues, instead of holding office indefinitely, as has hitherto been the These frequent renewals should also tend to ensure a more real representation of the country in the new Assembly. case. 6. A further important improvement has been introduced into the system in force with a view to ensuring a more equitable representation of the country, viz., the adoption of the principle of election of members of the Legislative Assembly by absolute majority of votes, instead of the relative majority now required. If on the first ballot no candidate obtains an absolute majority, a fresh ballot takes place among the candidates who have obtained the largest number of votes. This system is clearly preferable to that of the relative majority under which, by reason of the scattering of votes among a number of candidates, the election often results in a very imperfect misrepresentation of the electorate. 7. Another modification of minor importance may be mentioned. The dismissal of members of the Legislative Assembly can only be pronounced by a majority of three-fourths of the members of that body, whereas, up to now, a majority of two thirds has been sufficient. 8. Lastly, it is now expressly provided that the dissolution of the Assembly can only be brought about by decree, on the initiative of the Council of Ministers. The existing law did not specify that the assent of the Council of Ministers was necessary for a dissolution. 2. Powers and Attributions of the Legislative Assembly. As above explained, the new Legislative Assembly combines in itself the powers which previously were conferred upon the Legislative Council and the General Assembly together. Various improvements have, however, been introduced in the provisions of the existing law : 1. Article 9 of the new law contains a definition of what is meant by "laws" which have to be submitted to the Legislative Assembly for its opinion. The old Organic Law* simply provided (Article 18) that "aucune loi, aucun décret, portant règlement d'administration publique ne sera promulgué sans avoir été présenté préalablement pour avis au Conseil législatif." This text has given rise, in practice, to numerous discussions and considerable difficulties, and the construction placed upon its terms has frequently varied, so that laws which should have been submitted to the Legislative Council have not been so submitted, while others which the Government could have promulgated alone were submitted to that body before promulgation. a view to arriving at a more precise interpretation of the word "loi," a second paragraph has been inserted in Article 9 of the new Organic Law, which lays down that by a "loi" should be understood "toute disposition relative aux affaires intérieures de l'Égypte et touchant à l'organisation des pouvoirs dans l'État, ou statuant par mesure générale sur les droits civils ou politiques de ses habitants, ainsi que tout décret portant règlement d'administration publique." By a "décret d'administration publique" is meant regulations issued in execution or in application of a law. With 2. Article 11 of the Organic Law introduces an important innovation. The Legislative Council has at present no real power of initiative; all it can do is to solicit the presentation by the Government of projects of laws or decrees containing regulations of public administration, but the Government is in no way bound to comply with the request. The new Article 11 provides a procedure of initiative which it is hoped may be productive of good results in the future. 3. Articles 13 to 16 are also entirely new, and provide the new Assembly with the means of compelling the Government to make a careful and prolonged study of. any projects of laws which do not meet with the approval of the Assembly. Under the present system, once the Legislative Council has transmitted to the Government its report rejecting a law in its entirety, or proposing amendments, its legislative functions are exhausted, and it has no further power of modifying or preventing legislation of which it disapproves. The Government is then free to take whatever decision it may think proper, and is under the sole obligation of informing the Legislative Council of the • Vol. LXXIV, page 1095 |