DOMINION STATUS 269
On the other hand, the Imperial Parliament had the authority and full legal power, as and when it saw fit, to withdraw or limit the rights of the Colony to exercise power within a prescribed sphere, either by repealing or amending the Constituent Act of the Colony or by passing an Imperial Act explicitly applying to some subject within the jurisdiction of the Colony.
Two Questions: (1) How was the division of authority to take place between the Colonial and Imperial authority ?
(2) The method of exercising the powers given to each.
(1) The division proposed was not along the lines of Imperial and Colonial legislative competence.
All legislation was to be within colonial competence, but some of it would be liable to veto by the Imperial authority, not on the ground that it was beyond the competence of the colonial legislature, but because it affected some specified Imperial interest.
(2) It was advocated that the possible matters of Imperial concern should be reduced to writing by enumeration of those matters which were deemed of Imperial concern. The British Government refused to bind itself specifically in this way [and the provisions were not allowed to stand in the Australian Bills].
(3) How were the activities of the Colonial and Imperial authorities to be adjusted and co-ordinated so that confusion and overlapping and conflict might be avoided? The solution was found in the following :
(1) The Po wers of Reservations.
(2) The Powers of Disallowance.
(3) The appointment of the Governor General.
(4) The nature of responsible Government in the colonies.
(5) Right of the British Government to tender advice to the Crown.
(6) Colonial Laws Validity Act of 1865.
(4) The nature of responsible Government in the Colonies.
The executive Government was vested in the Governor, who was empowered to appoint to his executive council those persons whom he thought fit, in addition to those, if any, who by law were members of it. While in one or two cases it was