NEW SOUTH WALES S05
NEW SOUTH WALES. Constitution and Crovernment.
New South Wales became a British Possession in 1788 ; in 1843 a partially elective Legislative Conncil was established, and in 1855 responsible government was granted. The constitution is embodied in the consolidating Act No. 32, 1902. The legislative power is vested in a Parliament of two Houses, the first called the Legislative Council, and the second the Legislative Assembl)^ The Legislative Council consists of not less than twenty-one members (59 in October, 1912), appointed by the Crown for life, and the Assembly has 90 members. During 1904 the State was divided into 90 electorates, each with only one member. Every man or woman being a natural born or naturalised subject above 21 years of age, having resided one year in the State and three months in a particular electoral district, is qualified as an elector and is entitled to one vote only. The duration of a Parliament is not more than three years. Members of the Legislative Assembly are paid 500^. per annum, in addition to which they are allowed to travel free on Government railways and tramways in the State, and are provided with official stamped envelopes for the free transmission of correspondence through the pest. The leader of the Opposition is allowed 250^. per annum in addition. The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly receives a salary of 1,000/. per annum, and the Chairman of Committees 7iOl. per annum. Members of the Legislative Council receive no allowances but may travel free over all Government railways and tramways. At the general election of 1910, 584,353 electors out of 844,381 enrolled in contested districts, or 69 •20 per cent, of the electors on the roll, voted. Included in the foregoing figures are 262,154 female electors who voted out of 400,139 enrolled in contested districts. The executive is in the hands of a Governor, appointed by the Imperial Government.
State of Parties (December, 1912) : — Labour, 46 ; Liberal, 39 ; Inde- pendent Liberals, 5.
Governor. — Sir Gerald Strickland, K.C.M.G., from March, 1913. (Salary 5,000Z.)
Lieut. -Governor. — His Honour Sir William Portus Cullen, LL.D., Chief Justice.
In the exercise of the executive the Governor is assisted by a Cabinet consisting of the following members : —
Premier and Colonial Secretary. — Hon. James Sinclair Taylor McGowen.
Attorney -General. — Hon. William Arthur Holman.
Colonial Treasurer. — Hon. John Henry Cann.
Secretary for Public TForks. — Hon. Arthur Hill Griffith.
Minister of Justice and Solicitor -General. — Hon. David Robert Hall.
Secretary for Mines. — Hon. Alfred Edden.
Minister of Labour and Industry and Public Instruction. — Hon. Ambrose Campbell Carmichael.
Minister for Lands and Agricrtlture. — Hon. John Louis Trefle.
Vice-Preside7itofthe Executive Council. — Hon. Fredei-ick Flowers, M.L.C.
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice has a salary of 1,520Z., and the other ministers, except the Vice-President of the Executive Council, of 1,370/. The Premier has an additional salary of 500/. The salary of the Vice-President of the Executive Council is 800/.
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