" PEACE, PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY " 239 



It was at this meeting that Mr. Service put forth his views on 

 Australian Federation, a subject to which during his European 

 holiday he had given much consideration. For purposes of con- 

 tinuity, it will be more convenient to summarise his labours in 

 establishing the Federal Council, and otherwise stimulating the 

 federal spirit, in the last chapter of this volume, devoted to the 

 Commonwealth. Suffice it to say here that of all the many claim- 

 ants for the honour of bringing about that confederation, Mr. Service 

 was the man who, while the air was full of sentimental abstractions, 

 condensed them into something within the range of practical 

 politics. 



The Legislative Assembly on its first meeting after the general 

 election encountered a scene bordering very closely on the ludicrous. 

 The Ministry appeared disposed to calmly ignore the fact that the 

 numbers had gone against them, and that even their Premier was 

 a disconsolate absentee. After listening to the Governor's speech 

 outlining the work of the session, Mr. J. M. Grant, the Chief Sec- 

 retary, coolly gave the usual notices for the formation of the sessional 

 committees, and read the list of members as though no change was 

 impending. Then a member moved the adoption of the address in 

 reply, which was briefly seconded, and with only half a dozen direct 

 supporters behind them, the Ministers calmly faced an Opposition 

 of about fifty and waited for the first move. A brief silence of 

 surprise was broken by Mr. Service, who, without any prefatory 

 statement, simply moved that His Excellency's advisers did not 

 possess the confidence of Parliament. Mr. Berry seconded the 

 motion with equal brevity, declaring that in view of the country's 

 unmistakable verdict any argument was uncalled for. The dying 

 Ministry fought very hard for some charge to be formulated against 

 them, but the Opposition would not be dragged into discussion. 

 For some time they resisted Mr. Grant's demand for an adjourn- 

 ment as undesirable and unnecessary, but the pleading was at 

 length so abject that the House finally yielded the point and 

 allowed him a few days to make up his mind what he would 

 do. Mr. J. B. Patterson, when shortly afterwards addressing his 

 constituents at Castlemaine, said, in reference to the scene, that he 

 had witnessed the exit of several Governments : some he thought 



