cHAP. 1] POWERS OF DOMINION PARLIAMENTS 371
salaries which resulted in a decision against an increase, while
in 1903 under Act No. 13 a referendum in New South Wales
resulted in the reduction of the number of members of the
Assembly to ninety.
In addition there have been a few cases of referenda on
special topics. Thus in 1896 a referendum was held in South
Australia as to religious education : three questions were
put, that of continuance of the existing system, that of the
adoption of religious instruction, and that of state aid
to denominational schools. The results were decisively in
favour of the existing system. On the other hand, the refer-
endum taken in 1910 under the Act No. 11 of 1908 in
Queensland resulted in a distinct majority (74,228 to 56,681)
in favour of a system of undenominational teaching supple-
mented by access for denominational purposes, and this vote,
though not cordially accepted by the Government, was loyally
carried out by them by Act No. 5 of 1910, Mr. Kidston
arguing that the decision of the people must in fairness be
obeyed. An informal referendum on education was taken in
Victoria in 1904, but every effort since to pass a Bill for
that end has been rejected, including an attempt to introduce
such a clause in the last Education Act of 1910. In Mani-
toba in 1892, under Act ¢. 24, in Ontario under the Act 56
Vict. ¢. 35, and in other provinces, a referendum was taken
as to the manufacture, sale, and importation of intoxicants,
and a general referendum on these topics was held in Canada
under the Act 61 Vict. c. 51, but in both cases the motion in
favour of prohibition was not strong enough to effect much.
The use of the referendum in the Dominions for constitu-
tional alterations has not been usual even in the case of the
formation of federations. In the case of Canada there were
no referenda at all, and only in New Brunswick was there
a general election on the question. In the case of the Union
of South Africa only in Natal was a referendum held. In
Australia, on the other hand, referenda were held in all the
six states, and it was not until all the six states had concurred
that federation was adopted.
! See below, Part IV, ch. ii, note A.
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