922 THE FEDERATIONS AND THE UNION [PART Iv
of which notice has been given at any time within fifteen
days after the ordinance has been laid before the House.
It may be added that ultimately no doubt the Colony of
Fiji, the Protectorates of the Solomon Islands and the
Gilbert and Ellice Islands, with the little Colonies of Ocean
and Pitcairn Islands, Fanning and Washington Islands, and
the innumerable guano islets under the British flag, will fall
to be controlled directly by the Commonwealth and New
Zealand, according to some well-conceived scheme. The
whole Cook group was annexed to New Zealand in 1900 at
the urgent request of Mr. Seddon,! and he then asked for the
annexation of Fiji to the Colony, but Sir W. Lyne protested
on behalf of New South Wales, and the Colonial Office have
not assented yet to transfer the islands. Tonga? is still a
protectorate with a local Government under a ‘ King’, who
acts in important matters on the advice of the British Agent
there, while the New Hebrides? are a condominium shared
between France and England under the Convention of 1906,
and governed in a singularly complicated manner. The
development there of British interests has suffered seriously
from the fact that the Commonwealth has not been able to
provide a preference for crops grown by aid of coloured
labour in her markets, for they would compete with crops
raised by white labour, and nothing save a substantial
preference seems likely to be of avail.
§ 10. THE ALTERATION OF THE CONSTITUTION
In the case of the Commonwealth Constitution two
principles are adopted. In the first place, in all minor
matters the Parliament is expressly permitted to alter by
a simple Act.* For example, Parliament can divide the state
into Senate electoral divisions, fix electoral divisions for the
Lower House, alter the quota, can decide with regard to
! Bee Quick and Garran, op. cit., pp. 639, 640.
* Parl. Pap., C. 9044; Cd. 38, 786"; Colonial Office List, 1911, p. 383.
* See Parl. Pap., H. C. 385, 1881; C. 3814 (1883); 5256 (1888); Cd.
1952 (1904); 2385 (1905); 2714, 3159, 3160 (1906); 3280, 3289. 3300,
3523, 3525 (1907); 3876 (1908); The Law of Tonga. 1907.
' Quick and Garran, op. cit., pp. 647, 648.
