628 PARLIAMENTS OF THE DOMINIONS [PART III 
of Tasmania, which in 1910 has tardily come into line with 
the rest of Australia. It delayed for a long time the intro- 
duction of satisfactory land taxation, the main object of 
which was of course to break up large estates for closer 
settlement. Attempts have been made from time to time 
to render the Council more democratic, but the House has 
carefully restricted the efforts, and it is remarkable that in 
a period of fifty-six years so little has been done to change 
the constitution of the House. When created in 1856 by 
the Constitution Act it was provided that there should be 
eighteen members of the Council to have a term of office 
extending for twelve years, one-third retiring after four years 
and the state being one constituency. The franchise was 
fixed, as far as the rental qualification was concerned, at 
£25 a year. No change was made until 1881, when the 
number of members was increased to twenty-four, in view 
of the increased population of the state, and the term of 
office was reduced to nine years, one-third of the members 
retiring every three years. The state was divided into four 
districts for electoral purposes. It was twenty years before 
the Constitution was again altered, though in 1899 a refer- 
endum taken under resolution of the Assembly of December 
22, 1898, affirmed the principle of the householder suffrage as 
suggested in a Bill of 1898. In 1901 the number of members, 
in view of federation, was reduced to eighteen, and the 
term of office to six years, half to retire every three years. 
But not until 1907 was the £25 annual rental qualification 
reduced. It was only then reduced because of pressure 
exercised by Mr. Price’s Government,” which had succeeded 
in inducing the Governor to grant a penal dissolution for 
the purpose of arranging for the steps contemplated in the 
Act of 1901 in the case of deadlocks, which had never vet 
1 See Act No. 236; a deadlock provision was introduced bys. 16. If after 
a Bill had twice passed in the circumstances given above (p. 536)—it was 
rejected by the Legislative Council, the Governor could dissolve both 
Houses or issue writs for the election of one or fwo members for each 
division of the Council electorate. So also Act No. 779 of 1901. 
tf. House of Assembly Debates, 1906, Sess. 2, pp. 524 seq.