Our First Half-Century: A Review of Queensland Progress Based Upon Official InformationQueensland
History
Our First Half-Century: A Review of Queensland Progress Based Upon Official Information
Queensland
Queensland -- History
The Conference came to a unanimous agreement with regard to the future
division of the surplus Customs and Excise revenue, justifying the
determination of the Government of this State to be represented. But
the efforts of the Opposition to defeat the proposal of the Government
to adjourn furnished additional evidence, if any were needed, that no
business could be done in a House so evenly divided. When the Premier
returned from the Conference, which had been held in Melbourne, after
consultation with his party, he advised the Lieutenant-Governor to
dissolve the Assembly, provided it agreed to grant temporary Supply.
His Excellency accepted Mr. Kidston's advice, but stipulated that the
Supply must be for the shortest time in which it was possible to hold
an election and summon the new Parliament. After another fight, the
Government closured through an Appropriation Bill covering Supply for
ten weeks, and the House was dissolved on 31st August, the election
being fixed for 2nd October.
The result of the appeal to the country has been to bring about a
practical restoration of two-party government, an ideal for which the
Ministerialists have been striving ever since the session of 1906.
The Government have won 41 seats and the Labour party 27, while the
Independent Opposition, which went out 12 strong, have been reduced
to 4. The Government have thus a majority of ten over the combined
Opposition parties, and should be able to carry to a successful
issue their policy of railway construction, immigration, and land
settlement, and to steer the State through the temporary difficulties
arising from the pending rearrangement of the financial relations
between the Commonwealth and the component States.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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