Page:History of Adelaide and vicinity.djvu/216

 190 ADELAIDE AND VICINITY The juwiee be attained in constituting the whole Province as one electorate was to prevent the return of provincialists, and to secure men of broad views acceptable to all, and not the nominee of a particular class ; but it was not satisfactory in practice. A measure to reform the Legislative Council was therefore welcomed. As a matter of fact, the Upper House reformed itself. It passed a Bill under which the number of members was increased from iS to 24. One-third of the members were to retire every three years instead of four, making the maximum tenure of a seat nine years, and the Province was divided into four districts for the election of Councillors. In addition, it was made lawful for the Governor to dissolve both Houses, or to issue writs for the election of not more than two additional members of the Legislative Council for each district, when the Council had refused to accept any measure passed by the Assembly by absolute majorities in two sessions. The object was to obtain "ample security against deadlocks, or Upper House obstructiveness." In the following year a new Electoral Act for the Assembly was passed, and under it the number of electoral districts was increased from 21 to 26, and the number of members from 46 to 52. A Loan Bill for ^1,287,608, to carry on various public works, was passed in 1 88 1, and several other important measures became law. The 1882 session was prolific. Fifty-two Bills were passed, among them Bills for railways from Nairne to the Victorian border, and from Gladstone to Laura, for the construction of wharfs at Port Augusta, and for the purchase of a warship. The Land Laws were subjected to considerable amendment on lines suggested by recent droughts in the remote areas. The failure of the harvest in 1 88 1-2 had created great distress among the northern farmers, notwithstanding that Adelaide was the centre of a boom. So severe, indeed, was the drought, that the Government was compelled to have water carried to some townships, and the country was canvassed for subscriptions to supply seed wheat to distressed farmers. The Crown Lands Bill enabled those settled on land unsuited to agriculture to surrender, and to .select elsewhere ; provided for the granting of concessions to selectors who for three successive seasons had reaped poor crops ; and introduced a new and liberal system of sale on credit. In January, 1883, Sir William Jervois' term of office expired. At a farewell luncheon, held on January 5, he reviewed the progress made during his sojourn in the Province, and proudly declared that open railways had increased from 321 to 946 miles; that revenue and export had expanded ; that 40 new primary schools had been opened ; that institutes had developed ; and that an Art Gallery, a Public Library, a Mu.seum, and a School of Art and Design had been located in a handsome building that cost ^40,000. He remarked that special provision should l)e made for the payment of interest on loan moneys, the public debt having increased from ^5,217,000 to ;/^i 1,369,300, and advocated the encouragCMnent of immigration, and of pastoral, agricultural, and mineral development. On January 9, he embarked for New Zealand. Sir W. C. F. Robinson, K.C.M.G., from Western Australia, now became Governor