38 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT [PART I
with slowly, as there was a deficit in the revenue and the
extra expenses must be considered. He also insisted on the
retention of an independent aborigines board, and he sent
out a draft Bill based on the Governor’s draft, embodying
the changes desired. Later correspondence made it clear
that the first Legislative Council was to be nominated by
the Governor on his own responsibility. The Bill was laid
before the Legislative Council, which accepted the views
of the Home Government on most points, but desired an
elective council, and on a suggestion of the Governor’s the
Secretary of State agreed to allow a nominee council to be
appointed, to be succeeded in six years, or when the popula-
tion reached 60,000, by an elective body. The Bill as
amended was laid before the country, a general election
took place, and the Bill was then brought before the local
Legislature. There were made several amendments shorten-
ing the duration of Parliament to four years, which were
accepted by the Home Government, but that Government
insisted on the strict adoption of the proposed Civil List,
and on empowering the Governor, without the consent of
the Executive Council, to set aside native reserves, though
the Governor was prepared to give way on these points as
being of minor importance.
The demand of the Colony for full self-government was
supported by the other Colonial Governments in Australia,
but some opposition developed itself in England, where it
was felt that if the land were handed over en bloc to the
Western Australia Government there would be an end of
any prospect of large British emigration to the Colony. Sir
N. Broome, the Governor, took the unusual course of writing
to The Times a letter to dispel the idea that there would be
any prejudice to emigration by the transfer of control to the
local Government, but the Imperial Government could not
undertake to pass the Bill as an Imperial Act that year
(1889), in view of the late date at which it could be intro-
duced, and the unexpectedly strong opposition which re-
vealed itself to the proposal. The Australian Colonies then
1 Parl. Pap., C. 5752.
