Page:History of Adelaide and vicinity.djvu/175

 CHAPTER JX THE RAILWAY-BUILDERS 1868-77 Political activity — Lieutenant Colonel Hamley, Acting Governor — Land reform — -Ministerial change — Strangways and his Land Act — Agricultural Areas opened up, and Results — Governor Fergusson — Crises — New Parliament — No- confidence Motions — Parliament dissolved — Elections — Ayers Government — Development — Governor Musgrave — Immigration — Constitution Act amended^Education Act— Boucaut's bold Policy for Railways, and its Reception — Colton Government — Departure of Musgrave — Railways and other Public Works — Northern Territory — Overland telegraph line — Exploration— Giles and Gosse — -Warburton — Forrest — Giles — Civic chronicles — Mayors, Assessments, and Revenue — Markets — Improvements — Bridges — Drainage — University of Adelaide and other institutions — Buildings — Unley and Hindmarsh incorporated ^E ST LESS as were the first four Parliaments, they were quiet and tranquil in comparison with the fifth, sixth, and seventh. In one sense, during this period, the situation was grimly humorous : while Ministries appeared and disappeared with the rapidity of scenes in a cinematograph, the Province made unprecedented progress. Generally the instability of parties is a menace to effective and peaceful Parliamentary government, but, singularly enough, in South Australia it occasionally seemed to make little difference. There were several able men, possessed of gifts necessary to a leader, with schemes for bettering the country, which they would promulgate only from the Treasury benches. Each of them spoke of his scheme vaguely until the passage of the slides enabled him to appear on the scene. A Government would come into power, introduce and pass some useful measure, and then suffer defeat u[)on another Bill of no particular importance. For a time there would be chaos in Parliament, but the new Act might change the condition of the country. The battles were fought with the utmost ardor ; the warriors were brave and competent, even while they were reprehensibly ambitious for office. When such men as Baker, Reynolds, Waterhouse, Dutton, Ayers; Blyth, Hart, 149