GRAND EMPIRE AS EMBLY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 178, 23 April 1908, Page 10

GRAND EMPIRE AS EMBLY.

Sir John .Quick, the well-known Australian politician, in an address on "Ini'perial-'Unityv delivered' at a meeting of tho- Imperial Federal League in Melbourne recently, outlined a proposal, for' the establishment of a grand-assembly of the-Empire to show how simple tho plan would be, aiid how . littlo legislation .would be required to meet it. Ho' had drafted a Bill, which ho read. ' It: provided that thero should be a-grand'assembly for the British Empire, that tho United Kingdom and every country .having responsible government under the Crown should bo represented by five members, that such representatives bo chosen by selectors of tho more numerous branch of the Legislature, in accordance with tho electoral laws passed by the local Legislature, and that there should bo a session of tho grand assembly at least "once in every five years, to bo convened, by Royal Proclamation. The functions of the Grand Assembly would bo limited to recommending on matters submitted by tho Royal Message, particularly with regard tp naval and. military defence,. trade and commeVce,. preferential^trade, shipping and navigation, oversea mail service, emigration from-tho United Kingdom, immigration within the Empire _of coloured raccs subject to the King, immigration of coloured races not subject to the King, and other subjects. Voting would . y coun trics. The schome was adversely criticised by Sir John Forrest.