120 
MADAGASCAR 
independent. In order to do justice to the principle of 
nationality among the numerous tribes, each province 
had to chose a native as Governor, to be subordinate 
to the Resident. In the same way the officers and local 
overseers were elected by the natives. The Betsileo 
province had its former independence restored to it, and 
so had the inhabitants of Sihanaka. The Betsimisaraka 
lands were broken up into two good-sized provinces, 
while the Antankara districts were formed into a north¬ 
ern province. 
Former restrictive regulations as to the acquisition 
and renting of land were altered at the same time. 
The administration carried out the principle of allot¬ 
ting estates up to the amount of 250 acres gratuitously 
to individual colonists, without the former demand for 
proof of capital. 
In the purchase of larger estates no superior limit is 
fixed, the price of the hectare (21 acres) has been placed 
at 5 francs on the eastern and .2 francs on the western 
side. The taxes in the colony are imposed in due 
proportion on the natives, without privileges for in¬ 
dividual classes. These taxes serve to maintain the 
public requirements of the several provinces. 
Justice is administered in accordance with the existing 
customs and notions of justice of the Malagasy. In¬ 
struction in the French language is made obligatory in 
the schools. 
At the head of the Government of the Colony stands 
an Administrative Council of which the Resident-General 
is president. He is subordinate to the French colonial 
minister. 
The Commandant of the troops, the Director of Public 
Works, the Director of Agriculture, the Director of 
Education and the Chief Justice are designated as 
members of the Administrative Council. 
Besides the Court of Appeal in Antananarivo there 
