The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-07-13
FEOERAT|NG
AUSTRALIA
The Creation of a Great
Commonwealth.
JAMES BRYCE WRITES
He Discusses Matters That Have
Led to the Union of the
Colonies.

than the present an event so remarkable
as the creation of new Federal Com
monwealth embracing all the Australian
colonies and covering the whole of the
Australian Continent would have excited
the keenest interest i'm England and
drawn some attention even from the ma
tions of Continental Europe In America
also it would probably have made,
but for the South African war and the
approach of Presidential election, a
greater impression on the public mind
than 1t would appear to have done, for
there is much in the circumstances at
tending the formation of an Australian
Federation and the enactment of an Aus
II allan Constitution to recall the eventful
years in which the Federal Constitution
of the United States was drafted by the
Philadelphia Convention and adopted by
he peoples OF the thirteen original States
There are in Australia six seIf-govern-
ing colonies. New SouIn Wales. Victoria,
South Australia, Queensland. Western
Australia and Tasmania, this last lying
In separate island, but so near the Aus
tralian Continent as to be practically
part of II. Until 1855 all these six were
distinct communities, having no political
connection with one another except that
which arose from their being all parts of
the dominions or the British Crown. just
a. before the American Revolutionary
war the thirteen colonies were distinct
self-governing entities. In 1855 the I'M
perial Parliament, at the instance of some
of the colonies, passed an act which au-
thorized the establishment of body call
ed the Federal Council of Australia, to
which any colony that pleased might send
two delegates. The powers of this Coun-
ell for common legislation were, however
very limited. Some colonies, including
New South Wales, the oldest and larg-
est, refused to join, and latterly only four
colonies have been represented in it.
OUR TRIAL INEFFICIENT.
It's inefficacy having been pretty gen.
/ orally admitted, a movement was started
| for the creation of a much closer confed-
Grafton. and in 1891 a convention was held
| at Sydney, the capital of New South
Wales This body. after long and ami
mated debates, produced Draft Bill to
Constitute the Commonwealth of Austria
lia," an elaborate instrument of govern
ment in which elements drawn from the
English constitution were skillfully COM
bined with others suggested by the Con-
stitution of the United States. 1t was
| soon seen, however, that public opinion
was not yet quite ripe. Many of the poll
ticians did not see much to be gained
and the masses of the people were not
sufficiently interested to make the poll
ticians proceed with the matter. Moth
ing followed for some years. But the
minds of the more thoughtful citizens had
ct pra
leagues to advocate federation wers
formed the popular impulse so necessary
in democracies were at least found; an6
, in 1895 the Prime Ministers of five of tn.
six colonies met in conference and pledg
, ed themselves to carry through their re
spective Legislatures bills for the ap
pointment of delegates to a new conven
tion which should prepare a Federal Con
: stitution, and for the submission of thi
: Constitution, when finally settled, to
: popular vote or referendum in each col
ony. This has been done. The new Con
{ stitution was drafted i'm 1S97-9S; and ha
! subsequently, after some notifications Il
{ detail. been ratified by popular vote 4
!, all the six colonies except Western Aus
tralia. That colony, the youngest an
least populous. has within the last fe'
years given its adhesion, and will erfte
y as an original member; so that the Who'll
: Australian Continent and Tasmania ar
!. now included in the coming Common
e wealth.
$ PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY.
= = To call this Commonwealth into exist
. ence II became necessary to invoke tn
= authority of the Imperial Parliament a
= home, not only because IL retains the l,
d gal power of legislating for every pal
of the British Empire, and so was IN
, most convenient organ for establishin
= this new community by one stroke, bI
7, also because the separate governments {
IL the several governments since they ha
been created by acts of the British Pa
lament, could not be brought into the
new subordinate position except by an In
perial statute.
When the time arrived for bringing II
y TO the Imperial Parliament the bill whic
was to enact the Federal Constitution,
difficulty arose which ought to have bee
foreseen, but which was in fact eiths
: not foreseen or not sufficiently apprecia
q ed. The Australians expected Parliamer
4 to enact the instrument exactly as IL ha
o been submitted to and approved by II
popular vote In the colonies. They ha
= however. embodied In IL a provision d
, claring that no appeals should in futui
n be carried to the British Privy Counc
from the High Court of the Australia
Il Commonwealth (to be established by II
q Constitution) upon questions involvir
!, the Interpretation of the Constitution
= the Commonwealth. or of the Constit1
IL tion Of the several States Heretofore CO
e onies), except i'm case where "the publ
= interests of some part of Her Majesty
n dominions, other than the Commonweal
N or State, are involved" This provisiC
,s was strongly objected to by the Britt:
Government, and after long discussi'
with the delegates whom the colonies h;
sent home to look after the passing
ed the bill. they announced that they mu
strike 1t out. and when they brought &
bill into the House of Commons Il did n