CONSTITUTIONS AND LEGISLATION IN MALTA 1914 - 1964 volume 1: 1914-1933 Constitutions and Legislation in Malta 1914 - 1964 volume 1: 1914-1933 Raymond Mangion Published by russell square publishing limited Russell Square Publishing Limited was founded with the objective of furthering legal research and scholarship © 2016 Russell Square Publishing Limited Linguistic revision, editing, and mise en forme by Professor James J. Busuttil A.B. (Harv), J.D. (NYU), D.Phil. (Oxon) for and on behalf of Russell Square Publishing Limited The moral rights of the author have been asserted Database right Russell Square Publishing Limited (maker) First published 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of Russell Square Publishing Limited, or as expressly permitted by law. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to Russell Square Publishing Limited, at the address above British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data Available Printed on demand in the European Union ISBN: 978-1-911301-01-1 The photo on the cover showing the Council Chamber in the Palace in Valletta, Malta, courtesy of Dr Anthony Abela Medici. To Joan TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR xi ABBREVIATIONS xiii TABLE OF LEGISLATION Malta xxix United Kingdom xxxvi TABLE OF CASES Malta xxxix United Kingdom xl LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xli FOREWORD 3 PART I - PROLOGUE 11 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 11 1.1. SOURCES 11 1.2. AIM 13 1.3. METHOD 14 CHAPTER 2. THE BACKGROUND, 1814-1914 17 2.1. MALTA AND THE MALTESE, 1814 18 2.2. THE AUTOCRATIC PERIOD 25 2.3. THE COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENT 31 2.4. CONCLUSION 38 CHAPTER 3. REPRESENTATION 39 3.1. LIMITED SUFFRAGE 39 3.2. A REPRESENTATIVE LEGISLATURE 58 3.3. RELAPSE 68 vii PART II - THE FIRST SELF-GOVERNMENT, 1921-1933 77 CHAPTER 4. LACK OF REPRESENTATION 79 4.1. EMERGENCY 79 4.2. AUSTERITY V BENEVOLENCE 88 CHAPTER 5. THE DIARCHY 103 5.1. PARTY POLITICS 112 5.2. DIFFICULTIES 119 5.3. INNOVATIONS 126 5.4. MILITARISM 134 5.5. DR ENRICO MIZZI 137 CHAPTER 6. INSTABILITY 147 6.1. RE-PROPOSALS 147 6.2. EMPLOYMENT AND TRADE-UNIONISM 154 6.3. A BUILDING BOOM 160 6.4. THE BORDERLINE 166 CHAPTER 7. THE COMPACT 201 7.1. POLITICO-RELIGIOUS CONFRONTATION 206 7.2. RE-ITALIANISATION 217 APPENDICES 227 APPENDIX A: GOVERNORS OF MALTA (1814-1964) 229 APPENDIX B: SECRETARIES OF STATE FOR (WAR AND) THE COLONIES (1814-1964) 233 APPENDIX C: HEADS OF THE MINISTRY/ PRIME MINISTERS OF MALTA (1921-1964) 237 APPENDIX D: CHIEF SECRETARIES TO GOVERNMENT AND LIEUTENANT- GOVERNORS (1814-1964) 239 viii APPENDIX E: PRINCIPAL LEGAL OFFICERS OF THE GOVERNMENT (1814-1964) 241 APPENDIX F: LEGAL ADVISERS TO THE GOVERNOR (1921-1964) 243 APPENDIX G: PRESIDENTS OF THE COURT OF APPEAL AND CHIEF JUSTICES (1814-1964) 245 APPENDIX H: POLITICAL PARTIES AND GROUPS IN MALTA (1880-1964) 247 APPENDIX I: BRITISH PRIME MINISTERS (1914-1964) 249 BIBLIOGRAPHY 251 INDEX 283 ix AbOUT THE AUTHOR Professor Raymond Mangion, Head of the Department of Legal History and Methodology at the University of Malta, studied at the University of Malta (MA History, LLD) and at the University of Oxford (DPhil). He has been lecturing in legal and legislative history at the Faculty of Laws, University of Malta, since 1993. His first book, Minutes of the Council of Government of Malta, 29 December 1835 to 13 August 1849, was published by Malta University Press in 2009. His volume in two Parts entitled Speakers’ Rulings in the Parliament of Malta - The Legislative Assembly, 1921-1924, was co-sponsored by the University of Malta and the Parliament of Malta in 2013, and chosen as Book of the Year by the Malta National Book Council. Photo credit: Domenic Aquilina Domenic credit: Photo xi ABBREVIATIONS AA Archiepiscopal Archives Floriana AAG Archives of the Attorney General Valletta Abbozzo Leggi di Organizzazione e Procedura Civile per L’Isola di Malta e Sue Dipendenze (Malta 1850) AC Appeal Cases ACJ Archives of the Courts of Justice ACZIntr (Dr) Alexander Cachia Zammit (Interview, 3.iii.2001) A&CE Architect and Civil Engineer AG Attorney General (File) AGA Albert Ganado Archives Aggs Aggs, WH, Chitty’s Statutes 1235- 1910/1925 (London 1912/1926) AHR Archives of the House of Representatives Valletta All ER All England Law Reports AMA Archives of the Museum of Archeology Valletta Amery Report by LS Amery on the Financial and Economic Situation in Malta (London 1919) AM Archivium Melitense ANM L’Assemblea Nazionale di Malta, 25 Febbraio 1919-27 Maggio 1921, Processi Verbali e altri documenti dell’Assemblea Nazionale (Malta 1923) APM Associazione Politica Maltese App Appendix/Appendices APR Archives of the President of the Republic xiii constitutions and legislation in malta Art(s) Article(s) ASM Archivio Storico di Malta B Il-Berka/Il-Berqa BA Bachelor of Arts BEduc Bachelor of Education bk book/libro BM Il-Bandiera tal-Maltin c canon(s) C Correspondence/Circular CAR Chamber of Architects CAV Chamber of Advocates CBIntr Carmelo Bartolo (Interview, l.viii.1995) Cc Commercial Court CC Confidential Circular/Criminal Court CCA Court of Criminal Appeal CCAC Chamber of Commerce Archives Correspondence CCR Commercial Courier Cd/Cmd/Cmnd Command CD Circular Despatch CDIntr Consiglio D’Amato (Interview, 1.xi.2000) CEGIntr Carmelo Ellul Galea (Interview, 5.x.2000) Census Census of the Maltese Islands 1891/1948 (Malta 1892/1949) Cf compare CG Council of Government ch chapter/capitolo cl(s) column(s) Cl&F Clark and Fennelly, House of Lords Reports xiv abbreviations CO Colonial Office COA Court of Appeal Cobham Report by AJ Cobham on Malta in relation to future Air Routes (Malta 1928) Codex (1917) Codex Iuris Canonici (Roma 1917) Codice (1889) Codice Penale Italiano (1889) Col Colonial Number Collezione Collezione di Bandi COM(A) Magistrates’ Court (Appeal) COP Commissioner of Police Correspondence Correspondence with the Holy See Relative to Maltese Affairs (Cmd 3588) Cowp Cowper, King’s Bench Reports CP Constitutional Party CP Il Corriere Popolare CPH Chamber of Pharmacists CSL Chief Secretary’s Letters CWP Christian Workers Party D Despatch DAP Democratic Action Party DCG Debates of the Council of Government DHC Hansard Reports, Parliamentary Debates of the House of Common (series 3/5) 1919-1933 (London 1830/1964) DHL Hansard Reports, Parliamentary Debates of the House of Lords (series 5) 1920/1935 Dhn Id-Dehen Dioc La Diocesi, Bollettino Ufficiale Ecclesiastico di Malta xv constitutions and legislation in malta Diritto Municipale Del Diritto Muncipale di Malta (1st edn, Malta 1784) DMC Daily Malta Chronicle/Malta Chronicle Doc document dos dossier DPhil Doctor of Philosophy Dr Doctor edn(s) edition(s) ed(s) editor(s) Edin Edinburgh Educ Education Edw King Edward eg exempli gratia (i.e. for example) EMG L’Eco di Malta e Gozo ER English Reports et (al) and others et seq and the following pages F Forward FHCC First Hall of the Civil Court FL First Legislature FOI Federation of Industries - 35 Years of Service to Industry and the Nation (Malta 1981) FRA Farrugia Randon Archives FS First Session GCIntr (Dr) G Cassar (Interview, 10.xi.2000) Geo King George GG Governor General GGM Gazzetta del Governo di Malta xvi abbreviations GM Gazzetta di Malta GMR 1363 General Miscellaneous Reports 1814- 1964, 1363 Minutes of Evidence (1919) GN Government Notice GP Government Press/Gozitan Party GPO Government Printing Office GWU General Workers Union H Il-Ħabib HA Award by Sir Edgar Harper, FS1, Arbitrator appointed to decide on certain financial questions at issue between the Imperial Government and the Government of Malta (Malta 1922) Hel Ħelsien HL House of Lords HM Head of the Ministry Holy See Holy See Exposition of the Malta Question with Documents (Vatican 1930) Hons Honours I Instructions to the Governor (including those of Malta) 14th April 1921 (London 1921) i.e. id est (i.e. that is to say) IGWU Imperial Government Workers Union IH Il Ħmar IK Il-Kotra IMLI International Maritime Law Institute IP Il-Poplu xvii constitutions and legislation in malta JFA Journal of the Faculty of Arts JJCIntr (Prof) JJ Cremona (Interview, 24.viii.2000) JMS Journal of Maltese Studies JP Jones Party LA Legislative Assembly Leggi di Procedura Leggi di Organizzazzione e Procedura Civile per l’Isola di Malta e sue Dipendenze (Malta 1855) Leggi Prammaticali Leggi e Costituzioni Prammaticali, (Vilhena) Rinuovate, Riformate ed Ampliate Dal Serenissimo ed Eminentissimo Signor Fr D Antonio Manoel De Vilhena (Malta 1724) LGħ Leħen Għawdex LGO Lieutenant Governor’s Office (File) LHR Library of the House of Representatives Valletta Libr. Library LIH Leħen il-Ħaddiem LIS Leħen is-Sewwa LLD Doctor of Laws LP (1907) Letters Patent, Royal Instructions, Orders in Council and Ordinances relating to the Constitution of the Council of Government of Malta (Malta 1907) LPCG Letters Patent constituting the Council of Government (1939) in MGG 8534, 25.ii.1939, 244-257 and 263- 276 xviii abbreviations LPG (1921) ‘Letters Patent constituting the Office of Governor and Commander in Chief of Malta 14th April 1921’ in MGG 6389, 4.v.1921, 352-366 LPG (1947) ‘Letters Patent constituting the Office of Governor and Commander in Chief of Malta 5th September 1947’ in MGG 9589, 10.ix.1947, 1080-1092 LPRG (1921) ‘Letters Patent providing for the constitution of the Responsible Government of Malta 14th April 1921’ in MGG 6389, 4.v.1921, 326-352 LPRG (1947) ‘Letters Patent providing for the constitution of the Responsible Government