The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 4, 1925. AUSTRALIAN CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 November 1925, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 4, 1925. AUSTRALIAN CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

AfSTii.vi.i.v, remarks a eon temporary, possesses great interest, for the student of constitutional law: ’I here I", in tin* first place, the establishment of the various colonies at different periods and iu dilferent conditions, Next is the acquisition by them of self-govern-liient often id dissimilar circumstances. Next crimes xiK'ir association in a Federal system. ill** authors of which had tilt’ advantage of being able to compare several others in operation, and to extract from each the elements that had proved most satisfactory. And, finally there is. the judicial interpretation of the Federal instrument liy the High Oiurt. which, originally prone to place a narrower construction on its provisions, has latterly displayed the opposite tendency. Clearly the field is so large that the whole of it cannot he adequately dealt, with in the space of a single volume, and in “Australian Constitutional Development. ’’ a noteworthy contribution to the literature of the subject. Dr Edward Sweotinan. of the University of .Melbourne, covers in his survey the years from ITBB to IHfiti, that *s from the commencement of colonisation in Australia to the iu-

1 troduction of what a Secretary of Stato for the Colonies describes as “the system of government commonly termed ‘responsible.’ " The author points out that the history of eonstitutioral development in New Month Wales falls naturally into four periods, and his method of treatment and arrangement is on that basis. The first begins with the foundation of the onloiiy it lid eluß i with tiie judicature Act. passed in 1828, and modified in 1828. This one. saw the arrival of free settlers in the country, and an increasing objection on their part to the utmost despotic * ill.' of the (jnviiriior. Tiio outstanding features of the second period, which lasted until 1842, was the establishment of the freedom of the Press, and the more insistent popular demand for representative government, which was granted in that year. During the third period, from 1842 to l&iO. there was an agitation for the Separation of Port Phillip District and New South Wales, which ultimately resulted in the creation of the colony of Victoria. while repeated collisions between the nominee am] the elected members of the ( onneil showed that the people were resolved to exercise more effective control over government. In the last period their efforts were more vigorous than ever, and at the close of it they i were rewarded, and a long cherished I aspiration was fulfilled. In an intro- ' el notion Professor Ernest Scott alludes to a point upon which Dr Sweet man o lays considerable stress in the course of s his narrative. Although autonomy was f

granted in Australia in response to popular clamour, neither the demand, nor the concession, would have been made at that time save for events that occurred far away. Things which had no immediate hearing upon Australia, nevertheless exercised a profound influence on Australia’s destiny. Thus Lord Durham's celebrated mission. and report concerned Canada alone. The report discussed the Canadian situation, and had no direct re-

ference to Australia whatever. Yet it aroused such interest here that newspapers published the entire text of it in successive issues. Dr Sweet--

man lias traversed the ground most thoroughly. His book, which is copiously documented—his list of authorities alone fills many pages—is a valuable addition to the body of Australian historical research.