THE PROPOSED COLONIAL COUNCIL.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1841, 21 May 1885, Page 2

THE PROPOSED COLONIAL COUNCIL.

Lord Loft us is reported to have contributed an article to the Pall Mall Gazette suggesting that a Colonial Council, similar to the Austrian Reicharatb, should be formed in London, as a basis of federation. The Austrian Ueichsrath, or Council of the Empire, consists of an Upper and Lower House. The Upper House is formed, first, of the members of the Imperial family who are of age ; second, of a number of nobles— fifty-three in the present Reichsrath — possessing large I landed property, in whose families the dignity is hereditary ; third, of the Archbishops, ten in number, and Bishops, seven in number, who are of princely title, inherent to their episcopal seat ; and fourth, of any other members nominated by the Emperor, on account of being distinguished in art or science, or who have rendered signal eervice to Church or State — one hundred and fire in 1883. The Lower House consisted in 1883 of 353 members, elected, partly directly, and partly indirectly by tha vote of all citizens who are 24 years of age, and possessed of j a small property qualification. Of these, I 85 represent the landed proprietors, 110 represent the towns, 21 tho Chambers of Trade and Commerce, and 131 the rural districts. The constituencies which elect the representatives for the Austrian Lower House are divided into four classes. These are - first, the rural districts, where the peasantry and small landholders are the electors ; these choose a voter for every 500 inhabitants, those voters electing representatives. Secondly, the towns ; third, the Chamber of Commerce in the cities and large towns ; and fourth, the large landed proprietors, payers of from five pounds to twenty five pounds of taxes according to the district in which their estatos are situated. In this last class, females in possession of their own property are entitled to vote. The Emperor nominates the presidents and vice-presi-dents of both Chambers of the Reichsrath. The rights which are conferred upon the 1 Eeichsrath are as follows : — (1) Consent to all iaws relating to military duty ; (2) Co-operation in the legislature on trade and commerce, customs, banking, posting, j telegraph, and railway matters ; (3) I examination of the estimates of the income j and expenditure of the State ; of the bills j on taxation, public loans, and conversion of the funds ; and general control of th« public debt.