March, 1897, for the purpose of drafting a consti- | Victoria and Tasmania, and on the 2nd September tution. Having prepared a "Bill to constitute a Commonwealth of Australia," the Convention was on the 23rd April adjourned to reassemble at Sydney on 2nd September. The draft Bill was in the meantime submitted to the local Legislatures, and various amendments were suggested by those bodies. The Bill, together with those amendments, was further considered by the Delegates at the Sydney Session of the Convention, and a long discussion took place on various proposals submitted for settling questions of difference between the two Houses of the new Federal Legislature. Considerable progress was made with the rest of the measure, but the work of revision was not completed, and the Convention adjourned until 20th January, 1898, partly in the hope of seeing Delegates from Queensland join in the final discussion. This hope was not realised, as the Queensland Legislature, for the second time, shelved the Enabling Bill. The Convention met again at Melbourne on the 20th of January, 1898, and remained in session till the 17th of March, and a Bill was adopted which in accordance with the Federation Enabling Acts of the different Colonies was submitted to the popular vote for acceptance or rejection. In Victoria the polling was-For acceptance, 100,520; against, 22,099. The Bill was also accepted by the vote of the people in South Australia and Tasmania. But in New South Wales the statutory minimum number of 80,000 affirmative votes required by the Enabling Act of that Colony was not obtained, and the matter fell through for the time. A further Conference of Premiers was held at Melbourne in January, 1899, to consider the objections of New South Wales; and this time Queensland was represented. The Premiers met in a spirit of compromise, and on the 2nd of February an agreement was come to which all the Premiers agreed to submit to their Parliaments for reference to the electors, it being understood that New South Wales should lead the way. South Australia, however, for purposes of local convenience, took a referendum vote upon the Bill on the occasion of the General Election, without waiting for New South Wales. This vote was taken on the 29th of April, when 65,990 votes were given for Federation and 17,053 against. In New South Wales the Bill providing for the reference to the people of the amended draft constitution was passed by the Lower House on the 2nd of March, but in the Upper House amendments were made. One of these required that one-third of the electors on the register should vote for the Bill in order to secure its acceptance. The Bill as amended passed the Legislative Council on the 21st of March. On March the 22nd the Lower House rejected the amendments of the Upper House. The latter body refused to give way. A conference between the two Houses was held without result on the 28th of March. Mr. Reid, Premier of New South Wales, prorogued Parlia ment for a few days, and on his advice the Governor added twelve new members to the Council. The Bill was re-introduced in the Lower House, and passed on the 13th of April. It was accepted by the Legislative Council with an unimportant amendment (providing that a period of eight weeks should elapse before the referendum was taken) on the 20th of April, and on the 25th of April it was announced that the question would be submitted to the electors on the 20th of June. It was accepted by a majority of about 25,000. On the 27th July, the amended Commonwealth Bill was accepted by overwhelming majorities in (c) by a majority of about 7,500 in Queensland. The delay in taking action in Western Australia led to some correspondence between Sir John Forrest, Premier of Western Australia, and Mr. Reid. Mr. Reid declared on behalf of the Federating Colonies that no amendments to meet the views entertained in Western Australia could now be considered; and the same assurance was repeated by Sir G. Turner, Premier of Victoria. Sir J. Forrest, in fulfilment of his undertaking at the Premiers' conference, brought the draft Constitution before the Legislature, which referred it to a Select Committee, who reported that it should not be accepted without considerable amendment. The Legislative Council, finally, refused to allow a referendum to be taken. Addresses to the Queen from the five Colonies which had accepted the Constitution praying for the enactment of the Commonwealth Bill were received in the autumn of 1899. As it appeared that some alterations in the Bill might be required by the Imperial Government, Mr. Chamberlain telegraphed to the Governor of New South Wales, expressing the hope that Delegates were coming home to advise and assist during the passage of the Bill through Parliament. Delegates were appointed, and reached England in March. Western Australia also sent a Delegate to represent the views of that Colony, and the Agent-General for New Zealand was appointed to watch the interests of New Zealand. The discussion between Her Majesty's Governmentand the Delegates turned chiefly on the clauses of the Bill relating to the Appeals to the Privy Council. Under the Bill, in Section 74, appeals were allowed both from the Supreme Courts of the States and from the Federal High Court, but there was a limitation in cases affecting the interpretation of the Constitution of the Commonwealth or of a State "unless the public interests of some part of Her Majesty's dominions other than the Commonwealth or a State are involved." Various memoranda passed on this subject of Clause 74, the Delegates demurring to any alteration in the Bill, whilst Her Majesty's Government pointed out the difficulty of interpreting the Clause, and the danger that it might unduly restrict the right of appeal in cases where the interests of foreigners or British subjects outside Australia were affected. The Bill was introduced into Parliament with amendments to secure Her Majesty's prerogative to grant special leave of appeal from the High Court of the Commonwealth or the Supreme Court of any State to the Privy Council. But the discussion with the Delegates continued, and two successive compromises were arrived at. First, the appeal on Constitutional questions was made dependent on the consent of the Executive Government or Governments concerned, and finally was made dependent on a certificate to be granted at the discretion of the High Court. No other amendments of any consequence were made by Parliament in the Bill as received from Australia, except that provision was made for the inclusion of Western Australia as an original State, provided that Her Majesty was satisfied that the people of that Colony had agreed thereto prior to the issue of the Proclamation. The Queen caused to be sent to Australia, for presentation to the Commonwealth Parliament, a duplicate of the Commission issued for the formal declaration of Her assent to the Act, together with the pen, inkstand, and table used on the occasion в 2 NOTE.-In Tables 3 and 4 the value of goods transferred by sea, from one State of the Commonwealth to another State thereof, for transhipment to oversea countries, has been included in the oversea exports of the State from which the goods were originally despatched, and has, also, been excluded from the value of the inter-state trade. 5. NET IMPORT OF OTHER THAN AUSTRALIAN GOODS INTO EACH STATE FOR THE YEAR 1907. [This Table now shows totals only, not distinguishing Free and Dutiable. Ed.] 6. SPECIE AND BULLION INCLUDED IN PREVIOUS TABLE, 1907. 7. IMPORTS AND EXPORTS DURING 1907, ARRANGED IN CATEGORIES ACCORDING TO THE NATURE OF THE GOODS. 8. WHEAT AND FLOUR (OTHER THAN AUSTRALIAN PRODUCE). 9. GRAIN (OTHER THAN WHEAT) UNPREPARED, HAY, CHAFF, AND FODDER (OTHER THAN AUSTRALIAN PRODUCE). IMPORTS, RE-EXPORTS, AND NET IMPORTS, 1907. 10. SUGAR-THE PRODUCE OF SUGAR CANE (OTHER THAN AUSTRALIAN Commonwealth 93,072 15,813 229,998 245,811 152,739 15,813 77,259 NOTE. Sign indicates a net export. |