CHAP. viii] RELATIONS OF THE HOUSES 625 
by s. 81 of Act No. 1864 the present deadlock clause was 
adopted, but it merely permits a penal dissolution of the 
Council if it rejects a Bill from the Assembly which has 
been passed after a dissolution, arising out of the rejection 
of the same Bill. In return, s. 30 of the Act gave the 
Upper House full power to deal with Bills which merely 
imposed or appropriated fines or other pecuniary penalties, 
or provided for licence fees, and allowed it to suggest amend- 
ments, not increasing the burdens of the people, to any Bill 
at the committee stage, on report, and on the third reading. 
They can amend non-money clauses and at the same time 
Suggest amendments in money clauses in the same Bill! In 
general legislation the power of the Council is unquestioned : 
in 1909 it successfully threw out even a Land Tax Bill, and 
the Ministry did not dare to fight over it.? In 1910 it 
mutilated a Licensing Bill so that the Government dropped 
it, and insisted on large changes in the Electoral Bill—only 
agreeing to a certain compromise after discussion at a joint 
conference? ; it declined to approve of the sale of coal from 
the Government mine to the public, and amended largely 
the Education Bill; and was so hostile to a Preferential 
Voting Bill that the Government dropped it. 
The composition of the Upper House was, however, 
rendered more democratic in 1881 (Act No. 7 02), and in 1903 
(Act No. 1864) by a drastic reduction of the qualifications 
for electors and members, originally fixed very high by the 
Act of 1855. But a property qualification is still required 
of members and of electors alike, and female suffrage was 
accorded only in 1908 by an Act assented to in 1909, and 
no election has yet been decided upon it. 
! See Parliamentary Debates, ciii. 2964 seq. Cf, Parl. Pap., 1894, No. 52, 
! Cf. Commonwealth Parliamentary Debates, 1910, p. 4815; there was 
an absurd dispute in the same year as to the appointment of a Clerk to the 
Upper House, as the Government under Act No. 1075, s. 350 declined. the 
recommendation of the President and made an appointment over his head ; 
see Legislative Council Votes, September 27, 1910 ; Debates, 1910, pp. 1342 seq. 
* See Parliamentary Debates, 1910, pp. 3302, 3348 ; above, p. 483. For 
a dispute over amendments of money clauses. see ibid., pp. 3813, 3823, 3853. 
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