§ SIR W. MOLESWORTHwished to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies a question relative to an order issued by the Governor of South Australia, directing the publication of certain resolutions with regard to the new constitution of that colony, and which were to be proposed at the next meeting of the Legislative Council. These resolutions were to the following effect:—
1. That the Imperial Parliament should confer upon the Government of South Australia complete power over all local concerns; and that in withholding from colonial jurisdiction any subjects which exclusively concern the empire, the Colonial Parliament should carefully define those subjects. 2. That the form of the legislature 2 should as nearly as possible resemble that of the mother country, and consist of a governor and two chambers. 3. That all Bills passing the two chambers, and receiving the assent of the governor, should at once become law. 4. That the Colonial Office should not possess the power of disallowing any law on colonial concerns. 5. That there shall be responsible government. 6. That the governor shall be removed on address from the two houses praying for his removal. 7. That the Colonial Government shall have absolute control over the waste lands of the colony. 8, That a federal union of the Australian colonies would be inexpedient.As some of these resolutions would lead to a constitution identical in principle with that which he (Sir W. Molesworth) proposed for these colonies, he asked the hon. Gentleman whether he had received a copy of the resolutions, with any despatch from the Governor, explaining why they have been published in an official form, and whether copies of all information on this subject will be placed in the hands of Members before the next discussion of the Australian Colonies Bill?
§ MR. HAWESsaid, copies of the resolutions which the hon. Baronet had just quoted had been received by the noble 3 Lord at the head of the Colonial Department on Saturday last. It was to be remarked, however, that they were yet to be moved in the colonial legislature; and how far they might receive the assent of that legislature and the colonies they of course knew nothing. He had no objection to print the despatch containing them, but it must be borne in mind that they were only the resolutions to be proposed by a private Member.
§ MR. MOWATTsaid, all the communications which he had had from the colony convinced him that the resolutions were opposed to the general wishes of the colonists.
§ Subject dropped.