declaration that interstate freetrade had arrived. After stating that the tariff was neither freetrade nor protectionist in character, the Minister proceeded to detail the methods under which it had been drawn up. From the total annual value of imports into the Commonwealth, calculated at £63,000,000, various deductions were to be made. The establishment of interstate freetrade took away £29,000,000 from this sum, and it was estimated that the total taxable balance left amounted to £21,000,000. Of this amount the value of narcotics and stimulants was £1,910,000, and the duties proposed on these articles, together with £1,131,000 from excise would yield £4,100,000. From fixed and composite duties averaging 30.94 per cent. £2,020,471 would be raised on £6,530,000 worth of goods, and ad valorem duties ranging from 10 per cent. to 25 per cent. would yield £2,362,211 on £12,583,740 worth of goods, or an average of 18.7 per cent. The excise on sugar was to be charged from the 1st July, 1902, and would cease in 1907, when, according to the terms of the Kanaka Bill, sugar would be produced by white labour. In the course of his speech the Minister indicated that the Government intended to adopt a reasonable system of bonuses to encourage the establishment or extension of industries which were not yet established, or to which protection could not be immediately extended.

It was to be expected that a tariff constructed under such difficulties as beset the framers would not meet with unqualified approval, and immediate signs were not wanting that extensive amendments would be proposed. On the 15th October the Right Hon. G. H. Reid, the leader of the Opposition, moved a vote of censure to the effect that the financial and tariff proposals of the Government did not meet with the approval of the House. After a protracted debate the motion was put to the vote on the 1st November, and resulted in a victory for the Government by a majority of 14, every member of the House being represented.

When finally dealt with in Committee the tariff had undergone extensive alteration. Amongst the more important changes was the abolition of composite duties, a novel form of impost in most of the States, and in many instances the rates were lessened. The duties on tea and kerosene were abandoned, and the placing of these items on the free list deprived the Treasurer of some £500,000 of his anticipated revenue. The abolition of these duties was viewed with dismay by the Treasurers of the smaller States, and Queensland, South Australia, and Tasmania were united in their protest. Assurance was, however, given by the Government that if it were found necessary fresh duties would be imposed at a later date. The tariff finally emerged from the House of Representatives during the second week in April, and the necessary machinery measures were thereupon pushed through. Under the Constitution the Senate has no power to alter the tariff, but it may suggest alterations and refuse to pass the duties until such suggestions have been acceded to.

The transfer of British New Guinea to the Commonwealth, effected towards the close of 1901, is interesting, as the territory possesses great, though almost undeveloped, resources, while in connection with Commonwealth defences, the position may prove of strategic importance.

One of the disabilities under which the Commonwealth laboured during the first months of its existence was the absence of a Federal Judicature to deal with cases arising out of the administration of the Federal laws. In some instances, of course, the State Courts were appealed to, but there was some doubt as to whether the Commonwealth itself could be sued under the existing legislation. To obviate in some measure this inconvenience, the State Laws and Records Recognition Act and the Service and Execution of Process Act were introduced at the beginning of the session, and the Punishment of Offences Act was also passed to provide that offenders against the Commonwealth might be dealt with by State laws. It was recognised, however, that a Judiciary Bill and High Court Procedure Bill were still urgently needed. The second reading of the former was moved on the 18th March. This Bill provided for a High Court, with one Chief Justice and four other justices; the principal seat of the Court to be at the Federal capital. Power was given to appoint a judge of the Supreme Court of any State as a judge of the High Court sitting in Chambers, in order to enable the initiatory steps to actual hearing to be proceeded with prior to the visit of a High Court judge. The measure also allotted certain Federal jurisdiction to State Courts, and permitted the transfer in certain instances of cases from the State Courts to the High Court. Subsequently the Bill was shelved by the Government until a more favourable opportunity presented itself for its discussion.

During 1901 efforts were made, both in Parliament and by public men outside, to have a site fixed on for the Federal Capital. Several localities were suggested and discussed, and the Government of New South Wales obtained reports as to their suitableness, but it was not till 1902 that any definite move was made by the Federal Parliament. In February certain members of the Senate made a tour of inspection to several of the suggested sites, while members of the House of Representatives were given a similar opportunity in May. Both excursions were of necessity somewhat hurried, but they at least served the useful purpose of giving members some knowledge as to the localities suggested. The sites visited included Albury, Tumut, Dalgety, Wagga, Yass, Goulburn, Orange, Cooma, Bombala, and Armidale.

Towards the close of 1901 a commencement was made with the laying of a Pacific Cable, the Australian terminal of which is at Southport, in Queensland. From this point the line runs to Norfolk Island, thence to New Zealand, to Fiji, to Fanning Island, and to Vancouver. The cable was completed and opened for business in November, 1902.

During the adjournment at the end of 1901 the Premier received a request from the Imperial Authorities for 1,000 troops for service in South Africa. This contingent was made up of 348 men each from

Victoria and New South Wales, 116 each from Queensland and South Australia, and 116 from Tasmania and Western Australia combined, the united forces being known, at a later date, as the Australian Commonwealth Horse. When the House met after vacation, the Premier took occasion to refer to the charges made against the people and army of the Empire, and moved resolutions expressive of the determination of the Commonwealth to give all the assistance in its power to His Majesty's Government with a view to a speedy termination of the war. On the 20th January the Government sent another contingent of 1,000 men, and in March a request was received for 2,000 additional troops, and these were also despatched.

At one time it seemed as though the new legislation of the Commonwealth would involve the Federal Government in international complications. By the operation of the Customs Act it was provided that deep-sea vessels should pay duty on all stores consumed by passengers and crew during the period between their first touching at an Australian port until they finally left the coast. When a mail steamer arrived at a Western Australian port, therefore, a Customs official boarded the vessel, superintended the removal of sufficient stores to last till the next port of call, and sealed up the storeroom. If on arrival at the next port these seals were found to have been broken, prosecution followed. The first case occurred in connection with an English mailbcat, and the Full Court of Victoria decided in favour of the Commonwealth. The owners of the vessel pleaded that, as they were on the high seas between the ports, the Commonwealth had no jurisdiction. When the law was enforced with reference to the German vessels, the matter was taken up warmly by the authorities in Germany, and representations were made to the British Government on the matter. An amicable settlement was, however, arrived at, both English and foreign steamship companies agreeing to the payment of the duties until the matter had been decided by the Privy Council. Judgment was given by the Privy Council in favour of the Commonwealth towards the close of 1903.

Universal regret was expressed throughout the Commonwealth when it became known in May, 1902, that the Earl of Hopetoun had resigned his office as Governor-General. Lord Tennyson, Governor of South Australia, was appointed to the position in November; but, in accordance with his wishes, held office only until January, 1904, when he was succeeded by Lord Northcote.

In June, 1902, an Imperial Conference was held in London, the Hon. E. Barton being delegated to represent the Commonwealth of Australia. The subjects for discussion suggested by the Commonwealth included (1) Army and Navy supply contracts; (2) Ocean cables and purchase thereof; (3) Imperial Court of Appeal; (4) Mutual protection of patents; (5) Loss of most favoured nation treatment if preference given to British manufacturers; (6) Imperial stamp charges for colonial bonds. The decisions of the Conference were to be brought before Parliament on its re-assembling.

In August the Tariff Bill was again under consideration by the Senate. After some three or four months spent in revising the Bill as passed by the House of Representatives, the Senate sent down requests for 103 amendments to be made. Of these 51 were acceded to by the Lower Chamber and the remaining 52 were rejected. The Senate pressed for consideration of its requests, and the Lower House proving obdurate, it was feared that a deadlock would ensue. The conciliatory attitude of both Houses after maturer consideration happily averted this crisis, the Lower Chamber agreeing to a number of the Senate's proposals, while the two Houses compromised as to the main points at issue. The Bill finally became law on the 16th September, a little over eleven months after its introduction.

The important matter of re-arranging the electorates of the Commonwealth was dealt with at the close of the session, and a Commissioner for each state was appointed. A division of each state was accordingly made, and Parliament accepted the distribution of South Australia and Tasmania, but rejected those of the other states. The elections of 1903 were carried out in accordance with the new distribution in the first-mentioned states, and on the old basis in the others. The number of members of the House of Representatives to which a state is entitled is determined by section 24 of the Constitution Act, which provides that the population of the Commonwealth shall be determined according to the latest statistics, and a quota thereof ascertained by dividing that population by twice the number of the Senate (72). The number of representatives to which a state is entitled being determined by dividing the population by the ascertained quota, any remainder on such division greater than onehalf of the quota is taken as entitling a state to one more member. In reckoning the number of people, aborigines are to be excluded as well as all persons of any race disqualified from voting at elections for the more numerous House of Parliament.

This last provision is an extremely important one. It will be found on reference to the Acts governing the exercise of the franchise that several states have an alien exclusion provision; thus Section 6 of the Queensland Act of 1885 provides that "No aboriginal native of Australia, India, China, or of the South Sea Islands shall be entitled to be entered on the roll except in respect of freehold qualification."

The question arises whether it can be said that all persons of any race are disqualified from voting in view of the exception in regard to a freehold qualification. The matter was submitted to the AttorneyGeneral of the Commonwealth, who decided that the provision of the Queensland Act does disqualify all persons of the races named within the meaning of Section 25 of the Constitution, and persons of those races cannot therefore be reckoned for electoral purposes as people of the Commonwealth. This decision affects Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia only, as the laws in force in New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania do not exclude "all persons of any specified race."

The persons disqualified under the various State Acts are the aboriginal natives of India, China, and the South Sea Islands by Queensland; the aboriginal natives of Asia and Africa, and persons of half-blood, by Western Australia; and the immigrants under the "Indian Immigration Act, 1882," in the Northern Territory of South Australia.

In establishing a quota it will be necessary, therefore, to exclude from consideration the aliens disqualified by state electoral laws, and, making this exclusion, the population of the Commonwealth on the 30th June, 1904, was 3,925,685 persons, distributed as follows:

A quota was therefore 54,523, and the number of members to which the various states are entitled is

The number of aliens set down as disqualified in Western Australia is in excess of the total coloured aliens in that state, as shown in the table on page 172. The figures for that state, given above, however, are furnished on the authority of the Statistician of Western Australia. The present representation of the various states in the House of Representatives gives Victoria twenty-three members instead of twentytwo as shown in the foregoing statement-that is to say, an excess of one member. The figures quoted in the foregoing table are those published by each Statistician in regard to his own state. It is, however, questionable whether, before changing the representation of any state, the matter should not be delayed until a general check can be placed upon the returns relating to the migration of the population by sea. Such a check will be obtainable early in 1905, when the statements of immigration to and emigration from the Commonwealth in regard to places outside Australia will be published by the Customs Department, which has now undertaken the compilation of the necessary returns. At present the migration into each state is taken irrespective of the other states of the Commonwealth. The Customs returns will deal with the Commonwealth as a whole, and a more exact statement will, therefore, be available than can be arrived at from the returns of the different state offices. In any case, it would seem desirable that the representation