316 THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNMENT [PART II
of Agriculture and Mines, together with four members with-
out portfolio. It was altered by the accession to office of
Sir E. Morris, who did not take the office of Colonial
Secretary, but remained without portfolio.
In the case of the Commonwealth the proclamation of
the Commonwealth took effect on January 1, 1901. The
Governor-General, who had arrived, was ready with a
Ministry, having first entrusted Sir William Lyne, and then,
on hig failure, Mr. Barton, with the duty of forming a
Ministry, and so on the taking of the oaths he was prepared
to form his Executive Council, whereupon he proceeded, with
their advice, to declare under the Act that the following
ministries should be established, those of External Affairs,
Attorney-General, Home Affairs, Treasury, Trade and
Customs, Defence, and the Postmaster-General. Besides there
were two honorary ministers, of whom one bore the title of
Vice-President of the Executive Council, and was the leader
of the Government in the Upper House.! The departments of
customs and excise in the states were on January 1 trans-
ferred under the Act to the Commonwealth, and under
proclamations of February 14 and 25 the departments of
posts and of defence were transferred with effect from
March 1. The department of external affairs was occupied
in the first place by the Prime Minister, Sir E. Barton, and
it included more than might otherwise have been ascribed
to the post, namely, immigration and emigration, influx of
criminals, and the relations with England, the state Governors
and the Governor-General, the Executive Council, and the
officers of Parliament. It also deals with the relations of
Australia and Papua, the High Commissioner in England, an
office only constituted in 1909 after a long period of inade-
quate representation in this country, and such matters as
the relations of Australia and the islands in the Pacific,
especially in connexion with mail services, and since 1910
the control of the Northern Territory. The department
has not been held in Labour Governments by the Prime
‘ Bee Harrison Moore, Commonwealth of Australia, pp. 170 seq.;
Commonwealth Official Year Book, 1901-8, p. 970.
