246 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



he became a pliant instrument in the hands of cliques and schemers, 

 a condition which eventually brought about his own downfall, and 

 scattered to the winds Mr. Service's prophetic vision. Nevertheless, 

 the principle of independent expert management, as set forth in the 

 Act, was so admittedly right that all the adjoining Colonies followed 

 the example of Victoria. 



Beyond these two reconstructions of important departments 

 the Service Government introduced a Mallee Land Act, which 

 brought into leasehold occupation several millions of acres of land in 

 the north-west corner of the colony that, ever since its first discovery 

 by Sir Thomas Mitchell, had been regarded as practically useless. 

 The Water Conservation Act of 1883 made provision for extensive 

 irrigation schemes, under the control of local municipal trusts, and 

 though its usefulness was greatly retarded by costly blunders at 

 the outset in engineering and administration, it has proved a valu- 

 able factor in stimulating production. It fell to the lot of this 

 Government to settle a question that had for more than a quarter 

 of a century been often, but ineffectually submitted to Parliament, 

 and the Act for regulating mining on private property was generally 

 accepted as an equitable solution of the difficulty. The Discipline 

 Act passed in November, 1883, gave something like definiteness to 

 the measures for colonial defence, and superseded the old volunteer 

 system which had fallen into disrepute. In laying the foundations 

 for the Defence Department, now an important arm of the Com- 

 monwealth service, the Cabinet was greatly assisted by Colonel 

 Sargood, who remained through all subsequent changes of admin- 

 istration one of the foremost champions of the necessity for being 

 prepared to meet the unexpected. 



The strenuous part which Mr. Service had taken in supporting 

 the annexation of New Guinea by the Queensland Government, and 

 the determined, even aggressive front he presented to the Secretary 

 of State for the Colonies in respect to the French designs on the 

 New Hebrides, brought him prominently into notice far beyond the 

 limits of Australia. He urged with impetuosity that all the islands 

 between New Guinea and Fiji should be brought under the pro- 

 tection of the British Crown. He inveighed against the undisguised 

 intention of France to concentrate the bulk of her doubly convicted 



