FEDERAL CONVENTION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7894, 10 April 1897, Page 2

FEDERAL CONVENTION.

Adelaide, April 9. When the Convention met this morning Sir John Forrest sprang a surprise by moving the suspension of standing orders, to enable him to move that the clauses dealing with finance and the powers of the two Houses with regard to money Bills be taken first, when the Bill goes into Committee, as the West Australian delegates intended to return on Wednesday, and wished to take part in the divisions on the questions named. Outside these they were willing to leave the Bill to the judgment of the other colonial delegates. Strong opposition was made to Sir John Forrest's proposal, but on a division ho secured a suspension of the standing orders by 26 votes to 14. The small States voted solidly, and one delegate each from New South Wales and Victoria sided with them. Mr Higgins, of Victoria, speaking to the resolution, thought the division was an object lesson for thoso who upheld equal representation in the Senate. Sir Joseph Abbott twice endeavored to upset Sir John Forrest's motion on points of order without success. After wasting the whole morning, Sir John Forrest withdrew his motion. The Drafting Committee, consisting of Mr Barton, Sir John Downer, and Mr O'Connor, hope to have the Bill ready on Monday morning A petition has been received from the Queensland Separation League iv favor of a division of that colony into three separate States, The Convention adjourm d till Monday, The Finance Committee gave special consideration to the railway question this afternoon, and resolved that, subject to the consent of any State, the Federal Parliament shall have power to tako over the control of the railways of a State or States on such terms as shall be arrived at by the mutual agreement ; also, that there shall bo established by the Federal Parliament an inter-State commission iv order to deal effectively with railway matters arising between the States. They also reßolved that the inter-State commission should have power to regulate the trade of rivers and tributaries flowing through two or more States.