oHAP, vii] CABINET SYSTEM IN DOMINIONS 317 
Minister, who has in all three been Treasurer, and in the 
Ministry of 1909 Mr. Deakin held no portfolio. 
The Attorney-General is entrusted with the conduct of the 
legal business of the Commonwealth, and his department 
contains the legal draftsmen. The Treasurer controls 
the financial business of the Government, and the audit 
department is subject to his general supervision, though 
the Auditor is given an independent position, and cannot 
be removed except on addresses from the two Houses of 
Parliament. The Minister for Home Affairs is entrusted 
with all electoral matters and with the control of the 
Commonwealth site (Act No. 23 of 1907 and No. 25 of 1910), 
but the administration of the Invalid and Old Age Pension 
Acts falls under the control of the Treasury. The Ministry 
for Customs includes all customs and excise matters and 
other important Acts dealing with trade. The Minister for 
Defence is charged with military and naval defences, and 
the Postmaster-General deals with postal, telegraphic, 
and telephone matters. There have been from the outset 
ministers without portfolio, two in 1901, two in 1908, and 
two in 1909, and three in 1910, but on no occasion except 
in the Ministry of June 1909-April 1910, when Mr. Deakin 
was Prime Minister without portfolio, has a minister of first 
importance been without office. Care has been taken to 
divide the ministries between states so as, as far as possible, 
to secure representation of all the states, or four or five at 
least, in the Government! A sum of £12,000 is provided in 
the Constitution for the salaries of ministers, the distribution 
of the amount being left for the Government to decide. 
In New South Wales the Executive Council, besides the 
Governor as President (the Governor being President in all the 
states and in the Commonwealth), includes the Vice-President, 
a minister in the Legislative Council without portfolio, the 
Premier, who in Mr. Wade’s Ministry was Attorney-General 
and Minister of Justice, Colonial Secretary, who is also 
There were two from each state except Queensland and Tasmania in 
she Ministry of 1910, but the extra member in each case save New South 
Wales was honorary, There were in the Senate two honorary ministers.