Cape Colonial parliamentary publications, 1854-1910 : with special reference to documents in the Dutch language

Abstract

This is a study of official documents published by and for the Cape colonial Parliament from the mid nineteenth century, when the parliamentary system of government began in South Africa, to the early years of the twentieth century, when the Cape colony was incorporated into the Union of South Africa. The constitutional framework within which government and parliamentary publishing took place is outlined, and the relevance of each type of document to the work of Parliament and the present-day researcher is explained. Emphasis has been placed on the administration of the publishing process from conceptualization through the printing stages to distribution and finally to the disposal of surplus material. The study concludes with an investigation of the current status of Cape parliamentary publications respecting preservation issues and the exploitation of the material for research purposes in libraries and archives, and some remarks on future trends. Particular attention has been given to use of the Dutch language in the predominantly English language Cape Parliament and the hitherto neglected effect this had on official publishing. Copious footnotes and seven appendixes have been supplied to make this study thoroughly comprehensive.