CHAP. vir] RELATIONS OF THE HOUSES 635
Upper House, both parties asserting their position, but the
question being disposed. of by concessions on either side.!
The Senate can clearly amend? a Bill so as to increase
expenditure, as it did in the case of the Property for Public
Purposes Acquisition Act, 1901, where the rate of interest
tobe paid by the Commonwealth was increased to 3} per cent.
from 3 per cent. only.3 It was, however, much disputed over
the Sugar Bounty Act in 1903, whether the Upper House could
lake the bounties on sugar retrospective, and so increase
by amendment the burden on the people. It was argued by
the Upper House that Appropriation Bills were subject to
alteration just as expenditure Bills were, and that the increase
of the burdens of the people did not result from an amend-
Tent of the appropriation, but from an Act to impose
taxation which might be the result, and which they could
Dot amend. But in point of fact the matter was settled by
the withdrawal of the amendment, and the substitution of
& request, and that and other cases in connexion with the
Customs tarift have shown that though where the Upper
House can amend it cannot increase the burden on the people,
Where it can only suggest it can suggest what it likes.
Further difficulties suggest themselves for consideration.
In 1901 objection was taken to the introduction of non-
Tecurrent items in the ordinary Appropriation Act, as, for
°%ample, the outlay in connexion with the royal visit in
that year, and the matter was then disposed of on the
ground that the Appropriation Act should contain, as all
Such Acts in the Colonies had done, such expenditure as
Would normally be submitted in connexion with estimates of
the year for each department? Tn 1910 there was a new
, Parliamentay Debates, 1908, pp, 11437 seq., 11588 seq.
An analogous attempt in Now South Wales failed ; see Parliamentary
Debates, 1910, Sess. 2, pp. 1316, 1440.
* Harrison Moore, Commonwealth of Australia,® p. 150. :
* Parliamentary Debates, 1903, pp. 1691-1703, 1821-60, 2013-34, 2076-8,
2364-418, 2469 gg,
* Ibid, 1901, pp. 1310 seq. The Public Works Act, 1900, ss. 28 and 31
of New South Wales requires that any public work costing over £20,000
faust be approved by Act of Parliament (the Council having a free hand to
