The Select Committee of the House of Commons to which
the consideration of the Western Australia Constitution Bill was referred, has struck out the clause limiting the action of the Colonial Parliament in regard to a portion of the territory to be handed over. We are exceedingly glad to hear of this alteration, and trust that the Govern- ment will insist upon adopting the recommendation of the Committee, in spite of the opposition of the "New Radicals," who, if they are allowed their own way, will prove as successful in breaking up the Empire as Lord North and George HI. If Western Australia is to have a Constitution granted to her, it must not be less free than that of Victoria or New South Wales. Even if disabilities are imposed on the Colony, they will only be maintainable at the risk of a separatist movement. The question of keeping half the present Crown Colony for the Australian Dominion is, of course, another matter. What is essential is that we should not attempt to establish a new form of Parliamentary or Colonial Office control over a Colony nominally endowed with responsible government.
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