Page:History of Adelaide and vicinity.djvu/696

 NX ADELAIDE AND VICINITY. Notes on the Constitution of South Australia years for which they were elected, but by Act No. 236 of 1881, the provisions of which will be examined later on, this was altered. The Constitution Act provides that the Legislative Council shall elect a President to preside over its meetings, administer the Standing Orders, issue writs to fill casual vacancies, etc., etc. A casual vacancy can be occasioned in any of the following ways : — (a) Death. (d) Written resignation addressed and delivered to the President. (r) Failure to attend the sittings for two consecutive months without the permission of the Council. (rt') Becoming a citizen of a foreign Power. [e) Bankruptcy. (/) "Taking the benefit of any Act relating to insolvent debtors." {£') Becoming a public defaulter. (//) Becoming attainted of treason or convicted of felony or of any infamous crime. ( / ) Becoming of unsound mind. (y) Acceptance of an office of profit or pension from the Crown during pleasure except the office of one of the responsible Ministers. (k) Becoming a Government contractor. In the event of a vacancy occurring from any one of these causes, the President issues a writ to cause an election to take place to fill the vacancy. The House of Assembly. There were originally 36 members of the House of Assembly. The members have now been increased to 54. The qualifications for a member of the House of Assembly were, and still are, that he must — (a) Be over the age of 21 years. (d) Be a natural-born or naturalised subject of Her Majesty. (c) Have resided in the Province for at least five years, if a naturalised subject. No property qualification is requisite. Four classes of persons are disqualified from being elected members of the House of Assembly, even though they possess all the above qualifications. They are : — (a) Judges of any court of the Province. (d) Clergymen or officiating ministers. (c) Government contractors. (d) Persons in gaol for treason or felony or other infamous offence. The 54 members are now returned by 27 electoral divisions. When the whole Colony elected the Council, the word "district" was used for the electoral divisions for the House of Assemby ; but the word "district" is now used to describe the area represented by a Legislative Councillor, and the word "division" for the area represented by a member of the House of Assembly. This alteration in phraseology has caused some confusion.