Federal Council of Australasia.

19

(g) The custody of offenders on board of ships beonging to Her Majesty's Colonial Governments, beyond territorial limits; (h) Such of the following matters as may be referred to the Council by the Legislatures of any two or more Colonies, that is to say —General Defences, Quarantine, Patents of invention and discovery, Copyright, Bills of Exchange and Promissory Notes, Uniformity of Weights and Measures, recognition in other Colonies of any Marriage or Divorce duly solemnized or decreed in any Colony, Naturalization and Aliens, Status of Corporations and Joint Stock Companies in other Colonies than that in which they have been constituted, and any other matter of general Australasian interest, with respect to which the Legislatures of the several Colonies can legislate within their own limits, and as to which it is deemed desirable that there should be a law of general application: Provided that in such cases the Acts of the Council shall extend only to the Colonies by whose Legislatures the matter shall have been so referred to it, and such other Colonies as may afterwards adopt the same. 16. The Governors of any two Or more of the Colonies may, upon an Address of the Legislatures of such Colonies, refer for the consideration and determination of the Council any questions relating to those Colonies or their relations with one another, and the Council shall thereupon have authority to consider, and determine, by Act of Council, the matters so referred to it. 17. Every Bill passed by the Council shall be presented, for Her Majesty's assent, to the Governor of the Colony in which the Council shall be sitting, who shall declare, according to his discretion, but subject to the provisions of this Act and # to Her Majesty's instructions, either that he assents thereto in Her Majesty's name, or that he withholds such assent, or that he reserves the Bill for the signification of Her Majesty's pleasure, or that he will be prepared to assent thereto, subject to certain amendments to be specified by him. 18. When the Governor assents to a Bill in Her Majesty's name, he shall, by the first convenient opportunity, send an authentic copy of the Act to one of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, and if Her Majesty, within one year after receipt thereof by the Secretary of State, thinks fit to disallow the Act, such disallowance (with a certificate of the Secretary of State of the day on which the Act was received by him) being signified by such Governor by message to the Council, or by Proclamation in the Government Gazette of all the Colonies affected thereby shall annul the Act from and after the day of such signification. 19. A Bill reserved for the signification of Her Majesty's pleasure shall not have any force unless and until, within one year from the day on which it was presented to the Governor for Her Majesty's assent, such Governor signifies, by message to the Council, or by Proclamation published as last aforesaid, that it has received the assent of Her Majesty. 20. All Acts of the Council, on being assented to in manner: hereinbefore provided, shall have the force of Law in all Her Majesty's ' possessions in Australasia, or in the several Colonies to which they shall extend, as the case may be. 21. Every Act assented to in the first instance shall be pro-: claimed in the Government Gazette of the Colony in which the Session of the Council at which it was passed was held, and shall also be transmitted by the Governor assenting thereto to the Governors of the several Colonies%ffected thereby, and shall be proclaimed by them within the respective Colonies of which they are Governors. 22.

Special matters may be referred to Council by two or more Colonies.

Royal assent to Bills, &c.

Disallowance by Queen in Council of Act assented to by Governor.

Signification of Queen's pleasure on Bill reserved.

Effect of Acts of Council.

Mode of promulgation.