32 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT [PART I
reserving as a general rule Bills of local interest. A curious
contretemps resulted from the passing of the Act : under the
interpretation put on the Act by his law officers, the system of
responsible government was brought into effect before a new
legislature came into existence, and the sitting Legislative
Council proved ready to defeat the officers of the Government
who had to face them in their new capacity as ministers.
In the case of South Australia the Imperial Government
did not proceed as in the case of New South Wales and
Victoria to pass an Act confirming the Colonial Bill, No. 3
of 1853, but they suggested in a dispatch of May 4, 1855,
that the Legislative Council would do well to reconsider the
provisions of the original Bill regarding the Legislative
Council? It was added that if this were done, and if the
provisions affecting the Imperial right of disallowance which
restricted the right to Bills affecting Imperial interests were
altered, it would not be essential to provide for the ratifica~
tion of the Bill by an Imperial Act, as the passing of the
Imperial Act, 18 & 19 Vict. c. 56, regarding the waste lands,
rendered further Imperial legislation needless, unless the
fundamental principles of the Bill were altered. The
Governor, on the receipt of this dispatch, in accordance with
a suggestion contained in it proceeded to dissolve the
elective portion of the Legislative Council, but he put before
the people as an alternative to responsible government the
adoption of a system of having a single chamber of four
official nominees, of twelve elective members selected on
a restricted franchise, and of twenty-four members elected
on a low franchise. This scheme fell entirely flat, and in
the result the Legislative Council passed an Act, No. 2 of
1855-6, which created a bicameral legislature, made pro-
vision for retiring officers, laid down a Civil List, and provided
for ministerial tenure of office. This Act received in due
course the royal assent?
In the case of Tasmania the same procedure was adopted :
! Parl. Pap., July 24, 1856, pp. 45 sea. : Rusden, Hist. of Australia. iii.
140 seq.
* Parl. Pap., July 24, 1856, p. 108. 3 Thid., pp. 65 seq., 109,
