38 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT [PART I 
with slowly, as there was a deficit in the revenue and the 
extra expenses must be considered. He also insisted on the 
retention of an independent aborigines board, and he sent 
out a draft Bill based on the Governor’s draft, embodying 
the changes desired. Later correspondence made it clear 
that the first Legislative Council was to be nominated by 
the Governor on his own responsibility. The Bill was laid 
before the Legislative Council, which accepted the views 
of the Home Government on most points, but desired an 
elective council, and on a suggestion of the Governor’s the 
Secretary of State agreed to allow a nominee council to be 
appointed, to be succeeded in six years, or when the popula- 
tion reached 60,000, by an elective body. The Bill as 
amended was laid before the country, a general election 
took place, and the Bill was then brought before the local 
Legislature. There were made several amendments shorten- 
ing the duration of Parliament to four years, which were 
accepted by the Home Government, but that Government 
insisted on the strict adoption of the proposed Civil List, 
and on empowering the Governor, without the consent of 
the Executive Council, to set aside native reserves, though 
the Governor was prepared to give way on these points as 
being of minor importance. 
The demand of the Colony for full self-government was 
supported by the other Colonial Governments in Australia, 
but some opposition developed itself in England, where it 
was felt that if the land were handed over en bloc to the 
Western Australia Government there would be an end of 
any prospect of large British emigration to the Colony. Sir 
N. Broome, the Governor, took the unusual course of writing 
to The Times a letter to dispel the idea that there would be 
any prejudice to emigration by the transfer of control to the 
local Government, but the Imperial Government could not 
undertake to pass the Bill as an Imperial Act that year 
(1889), in view of the late date at which it could be intro- 
duced, and the unexpectedly strong opposition which re- 
vealed itself to the proposal. The Australian Colonies then 
1 Parl. Pap., C. 5752.