A.—4c*

4

23. The Courcil may from time to time make and adopt siich standing rules and orders as may be necessa'y for the conduct of its business, and all such rules and orders shall bo binding on the members of the Council. 24. The Council may appoint temporary or permanent committees of its members, to perform such duties, whether during the session of the Council or when the Council is not in session, as may be referred to them by the Council. 25. The Council may appoint such officers and servants as may be necessary for the proper conduct of its business, and may direct the payment to them of such remuneration as it may think fit. 26. The necessary expenditure connected with the business of the Council shall be defrayed in the first instance by the colony wherein the expenditure is incurred, and shall be ultimately contributed and paid by the several colonies in proportion to their population. The amounts payable by the several colonies shall be assessed and apportioned, in case of difference, by the Governor of the Colony of Tasmania. 27. It shall be the duty of the Governor of each colony to direct the payment by the Colonial Treasurer, or other -proper officer of the colony, of the amount of the contribution payable by such colony under the provisions of the preceding section. 28. Whenever it shall be necessary to prove the proceedings of the Council in any Court of justice, or otherwise, a certified copy of such proceedings, under the hand of the Clerk or other officer appointed in that behalf by the Council, shall be conclusive evidence of the proceedings appearing by such copy to have been had or taken. 29. The Council may make such representations or recommendations to Her Majesty as it may think fit with respect to any matters of general Australasian interest, or to the relation of Her Majesty's possessions in Australasia with the possessions of foreign Powers. 30. This Act shall not come into operation in respect of any colony until the Legislature of such colony shall have passed an Act or Ordinance declaring that the same shall be in force therein, and. appointing a day on and from which such operation shall take effect, nor until four colonies at the least shall have passed such Act or Ordinance. 31. This Act shall cease to be in operation in respect to any colony the Legislature of which shall have passed an Act or Ordinance declaring that the same shall cease to be in force therein : Provided nevertheless that all Acts of the Council passed while this Act was in operation in such colony shall continue to be in force therein, iinless altered or repealed by the Council, or unless repealed as to such colony by the Legislature thereof. 32. This Act shall be styled and may be cited as " The Federal Council of Australasia Act, 1884."

Schedule. I, , do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Victoria and her successors in the Sovereignty of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland : So help me God. Note. —The name of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for the time being is to be substituted from time to time, with proper terms of reference thereto.

Enclosure 2. [The Times, Friday, Ist May, 1885.] House of Loeds, Thursday, 30th April. The Federal Council of Australasia Hill. On the motion to go into Committee on this Bill, The Earl of Carnarvon said the House would remember the general substance of the discussion which took place the other evening on this Bill, and that the question at issue turned upon the adhesion of certain Australian colonies to the 31st clause of the Bill, but since the second reading a very important paper had been laid on the table of the House. He had been criticised in a public paper for having said that the Colony of New South Wales had expressed its adhesion to this 31st clause, and had refused to enter the Union unless it were retained. The exact position was, that neither New South Wales nor New Zealand had expressed any formal opinion on the subject. He thought it was understood that if that clause did not remain a portion of the Bill there was no probability that either of thoso colonies^ would come in. There was another very important point in the matter. His statement the other night was that there were four colonies— Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Tasmania—in favour of the omission of that clause, and that two colonies—New South Wales and Now Zealand -were in favour of its retention. But from the paper to which he had alluded he gathered that South Australia had expressed an opinion in favour of the retention of the clause;. On the 17th April a telegram arrived from the Governor of South Australia in which he said the Government there were satisfied with the amendments agreed upon, one of which amendments was the insertion of this particular clause. That was a very important matter, because, in the first place, it would be noticed that, instead of there being four colonies adverse to the clause and two favourable to it, there were three in favour and three adverse to it; and, secondly, in the 30th clause of the Bill it was expressly provided that the consent of four colonies should be required in order to make a confederation, and the result would be that no confederation under the Bill might take place, which was greatly to deplored. The precise position of the Australian colonies was that Victoria, Queensland, and Tasmania were all in favour of the omission of this clause, and New South Wales and New Zealand required to give the matter more