Responsible government in the Dominions: Responsible government in the Dominions

Responsible government in the Dominions (Vol. 1)

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Multivolume work

Identifikator:: 1896933912

Document type:: Multivolume work

Author:: Keith, Arthur Berriedale http://d-nb.info/gnd/119086794

Title:: Responsible government in the Dominions

Place of publication:: Oxford

Publisher:: Clarendon Press

Year of publication:: 1912-

Collection:: Economics Books

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Volume

Identifikator:: 1896934455

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-236504

Document type:: Volume

Author:: Keith, Arthur Berriedale http://d-nb.info/gnd/119086794

Title:: Responsible government in the Dominions

Volume count:: Vol. 1

Place of publication:: Oxford

Publisher:: Clarendon Pr.

Year of publication:: 1912

Scope:: LI, 568 Seiten

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Document type:: Multivolume work

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Part II. The executive Government

Collection:: Economics Books

326 THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNMENT [part 11 failure of his supporters to carry his measures against treason. Sir G. Sprigg then very skilfully conducted affairs until 1904, when the general election placed him in a minority, and the Progressives held office until forced out of it in 1908 by the general election, which had been brought on somewhat prematurely by the loss of a majority in the Upper House. Mr. Merriman then led a party under Bond influence until the Union in 1910. Natal has been very unstable, but one Govern- ment held office in the Transvaal and Orange River Colony respectively from the grant of responsible government to 1910. The causes for these changes are no doubt the lack of questions on which parties could divide on party lines. The Labour! party is the only one in Australia which is organized so as to be an effective and united instrument ; 80 too the Bond party and its followers in South Africa ; all other parties are very disloyal to their chiefs, and prevent any Ministry having the complete control of. legislation which a Ministry in this country usually has. Moreover, the small size of the Dominion Parliaments is, as was pointed out long ago by Lord Elgin? a source of great difficulty ; the absence from illness or other causes of a few members in a small House may utterly upset Govern- ment policy, and there can be no question that it renders effective legislation more difficult. One remedy which has been suggested, and to a certain extent insisted upon in recent years, is to have elective ministries, in the hope that in this way, with fewer changes in the Ministry, administration at least can be effectively carried on. The subject has been discussed a good many times? and was examined in New Zealand in 1891 by a committee, which * Labour predominates in the Commonwealth, in South Australia, and since 1910 in New South Wales. It is also growing in strength in Victoria, and in Western Australia all but equals the Government ; in Tasmania it is not likely soon to hold office, and in Queensland the personality of Mr. Kidston holds it in, but his retirement in 1911 may alter matters, ' Walrond, Letters and Journals of Lord Elgin, pp. 39, 40. See especially Western Australia Parliamentary Debates, xxvii. 535 seq.; Victoria Parliamentary Debates, 1910, pp. 1804 seq. ; Commonwealth Parliamentary Debates, 1910, pp. 3624 seq.

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