Responsible government in the Dominions: Responsible government in the Dominions

Responsible government in the Dominions (Vol. 2)

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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:: 1896935052

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-238139

Document type:: Volume

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

Title:: Responsible government in the Dominions

Volume count:: Vol. 2

Place of publication:: Oxford

Publisher:: Clarendon Pr.

Year of publication:: 1912

Scope:: XI Seiten, Seiten 570-1100

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Chapter

Document type:: Multivolume work

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Part IV. The federations and the union // Chapter II. The commonwealth of Australia

Collection:: Economics Books

786 THE FEDERATIONS AND THE UNION [PART IV the scene was shifted to Melbourne, where in 1898 the draft was agreed on, the financial problem being disposed of by the famous Braddon clause, and the matter was referred to the Parliaments of Australia. Queensland and Western Australia, however, did nothing, and in New South Wales there was much trouble, as the opposition to the federation had grown strong among various parties. There was a democratic opposition to the representation of all states equally in the Senate, to the financial arrangements, which would penalize the state in favour of Tasmania and Western Australia, and to the change in customs policy which was clearly inevitable! Therefore, though federation was accepted by a majority, it fell far short of the majority required, which had been increased in 1897 to a total of 80,000 votes.2 Hence federation seemed blocked, for though the other three Colonies accepted it, it could not be real without New South Wales. After a general election there, Mr. Reid proposed in August 1898 to the Assembly certain modifications of the agreement, which with changes it accepted as adequate. A conference of Premiers held on January 29, 1899, at Melbourne,® saw the acceptance of the following modifications in favour of the views of New South Wales : (1) the lessening of the rigidity of the constitution by substi- tuting an absolute majority of the members of the two Houses for a three-fifths majority in the case of a joint sitting arising out of a deadlock ; (2) the limitation of the operation of the Braddon clause to ten years only, with power to the Parliament to amend thereafter at will; (3) the insertion of a clause permitting the Parliament to grant financial aid t The Labour party also objected to the rejection of the referendum for settling deadlocks. * The voting in the Colonies for the Bill and against was as follows: New South Wales, 71,595 and 66,228; Victoria, 100,520 and 22,099 ; South Australia, 35,800 and 17,320; Tasmania, 11,797 and 2,716. The percentages of voters to electors enrolled were respectively 49-88, 48.94, 39.44, and 46-5. In the voting for the candidates the percentages had been 51-25, 43-5, 30-9, and 25-0 respectively. * Queensland now appeared for the first time since the Hobart Con- ference of 1895.

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