CHAPTER XII 
IMPERIAL LEGISLATION FOR THE DOMINIONS 
Trae Imperial Parliament has not, of course, given up its 
right to legislate for the whole Empire, and even its determina- 
tion not to tax the Empire in North America could of course 
be undone by a simple taxing Act, passed in the ordinary 
way, which would #pso facto repeal that great statute of 1778, 
which asserts for ever the determination of the Imperial 
Government to abandon the principle of raising taxes save 
for the benefit of the Dominion concerned. The Act reserved 
the power to regulate trade on the understanding that the net 
produce of such duties as might be levied should go to the 
Colony. Still, for many years from that date the territorial 
revenues and the Crown revenues were also reserved from 
Colonial control, though they were regularly spent on the 
Colonies. But with self-government taxation and control 
of trade and commerce disappeared for good and have never 
been revived. 
The general rule regarding Imperial legislation is that it 
will not be passed save where it is necessary for the satisfac- 
tory carrying out of foreign policy and treaty obligations, 
or other matters of internal interest in which either unifor- 
mity or extra-territorial application is required. Thus the 
Extradition Acts of 1870 and 1873 2 provide for the procedure 
to be followed in cases of extradition. The framework of 
a jurisdiction to be exercised in the United Kingdom and in 
the Colonies alike with necessary modifications is set up, and 
its operation may at any moment be invoked by the action 
! The Customs Consolidation Act, 1876 (39 & 40 Vict. ec. 36), provides a 
complete customs code applicable when the Colonial Legislatures have not 
made provision as regards customs matters, as all the Dominions have 
done. For the Acts as to Colonies, see Piggott, Imperial Statutes appli- 
cable to the Colonies ; Tarring, Law relating to the Colonies®. 
* 33 & 34 Viet. ec. 52. ¢. 17: 386 & 37 Vict. c. 60, s. 1.