THE CONSTITUTION STATUTE OF 1842 297 



When the Under-Secretary for the Colonies introduced the Bill 

 into the House of Commons on the 4th of June, 1849, he explained 

 that it aimed at granting the separation of Port Phillip from the 

 Colony of New South Wales, with a Constitution similar to that in 

 force in the parent colony, and the creation of a Federal Union 

 amongst the Colonies for general purposes, but primarily to secure 

 uniformity in the fixing of tariffs. This first foreshadowing of an 

 Australian Federation took its rise from the recommendations of 

 the Board of Trade, which, on the 4th of April previously, had 

 furnished the Cabinet with a very elaborate report, in which it 

 strongly urged the importance of a uniform tariff for Australia, 

 even if it required to be promulgated by an Imperial statute. It 

 further recommended the formation of a House of Delegates to be 

 elected by the various Australian Parliaments. This body was to 

 have control of customs, harbours, transport of mails, coast lighting 

 and a few other items in which all were supposed to be equally 

 interested, but no voice in ordinary local legislation unless some 

 specific point was referred to it by any colony. 



Mr. W. E. Gladstone was the leader of the opposition to the 

 Bill as introduced by the Government. He had an interest in a 

 station property in Western Victoria, and was kept well posted as 

 to the injustice of the existing franchise, which practically excluded 

 the squatters from any share in the election of representatives. 

 There was no disputing the fact that amongst that class were then 

 to be found by far the largest number of the best educated and 

 most able men in the community. They numbered in their ranks 

 a considerable contingent of professional men, and a good sprinkling 

 of retired officers of the Queen's services. Yet, if they did not 

 chance to own freeholds, which was rarely the case, their Crown 

 rentals gave them no vote, while perchance the bullock drivers in 

 their employ enjoyed the privilege in respect of a 20 tenement in 

 which they housed their families in Melbourne. 



When Mr. Gladstone rose to speak he appealed strongly in the 

 first place for an extension of the franchise to embrace the men to 

 whom the progress of the colony owed nearly everything. For 

 apart from the contributions of 25,000 to 30,000 a year to the 

 general revenue for licences and assessments, they provided 95 per 



