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IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

1. A certain number of members, to be hereafter determined upon, to be returned to the Imperial Parliament, so as to give Ireland an interest and expression in Imperial affairs. The Irish representation in the House of Peers to remain as at present.

2. All indirect Imperial Taxation (i.e. Excise and Customs). The whole sum realised from these imposts, after deducting charges for debt, military and naval forces, and constabulary, to be handed to the Royal (Central) Legislative Assembly or Council.-[Special clause to be inserted for War Tax.]

3. The Public Debt and Property.

4. Postal Service.

5. Military, Navy, Constabulary for a term of years, and Defences.

6. Laws of Enlistment.

7. Currency and Coinage.

8. Legal Tender.

9. Patents of Invention and Discovery.

10. Copyrights.

11. Generally, all questions affecting the stability of the Empire, and all foreign questions, or any other matter of such a nature as may be deemed necessary for reference to the Imperial Parliament, to be submitted to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, for its decision and approval.

LAND AND RAILWAYS.

It is desirable that the Government should, if there are to be four Legislative Assemblies, make arrangements to acquire certain lands, as shown on accompanying map, and to purchase all railways, commencing in the North. A certain portion of Leinster to be broken up and thrown into Ulster, for certain reasons (page 23, O'Brien's Report).

JUDICATURE.

All Provincial Legislatures to submit at least three names for vacancy in the office of any Judge of Superior District and County Courts in each Province, but the appointment of all Judges to vest in the Lord-Lieutenant as the representative of the Queen.

ROYAL CENTRAL LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY.

1. Constitution.-The Lord-Lieutenant, the Lord Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice, with representatives elected by each of the Provincial Legislatures.

2. Regulation of Trade and Commerce.

3. The raising of money by any mode or system of Taxation, except indirect Imperial Taxation.

4. The borrowing of money on the public credit.

5. The Census and Statistics.

6. The fixing of and providing for the salaries and allowances of Civil and other officers of the Government of Ireland.

7. Beacons, Buoys, and Lighthouses.

8. Navigation and Shipping, other than dues and expenditure.

9. Quarantine, and the establishment and maintenance of Marine Hospitals.

10. Sea-Coast and Inland Fisheries.

11. Banking: Incorporation of Banks; and the issue of paper

money.

12. Weights and Measures.

13. Bills of Exchange and Promissory Notes.

14. Direct Imperial Taxation (i.e., a. Property and Income Tax, b. Land Tax; c. Stamps, except Licences as below; d. Inhabited House Duty) if levied.

15. Bankruptcy and Insolvency.

16. Copyrights.

17. Marriage and Divorce.

18. The Criminal Law, except the constitution of Courts of Criminal Jurisdiction, but including the procedure in criminal matters.

19. The establishment, maintenance, and management of Penitentiaries.

20. Such classes of subjects as are expressly excepted in the enumeration of the classes of subjects assigned exclusively to the

Imperial Parliament, and to the Legislatures of Provinces, to decide all matters affecting general questions, and to collate all Legal Acts with Provincial Legislatures, and any matter coming within any of the classes of subjects enumerated which shall not be deemed to come within the class of matters of an Imperial character or of a legal or private nature, comprised in the enumeration of the classes of subjects assigned exclusively to the Imperial Parliament and to the Legislatures of the Provinces.

NOTE.-R.L.A. must consist relatively of few members, or it will destroy use and authority of Provincial Legislatures.

PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURES.

1. There would be (a) four Provincial Legislatures, namely, one each for the provinces of Ulster, Leinster, Munster, and Connaught, which would assemble in Belfast, Dublin, Cork, and Castlebar respectively; or (b) three Provincial Legislatures assembling in Belfast, Limerick, and Cork; (c) or two Divisional Legislatures, Northern and Southern, assembling in Belfast and Cork. (For details see Map.)

2. Constitution.-The present representation to be continued, and the constituencies which now elect members to the Imperial Parliament to send their members to the Provincial Legislature of the province to which they may belong.

3. The amendment, from time to time, notwithstanding anything in the Act to the contrary, of the constitution of the province.

4. Local Taxation within the province, in order to the raising of a revenue for provincial and municipal purposes.

5. The borrowing of money on the sole credit of the province.

6. The establishment and development of provincial funds, and the appointment and payment of provincial officers.

7. The establishment, maintenance, and management of public and reformatory prisons in and for the province.

8. The establishment, maintenance, and management of hospitals, asylums, charities, and eleemosynary institutions in and for the province, other than naval and military hospitals.

9. Public Health and all that appertains to it, and to municipal institutions in the province.

10. Ferries within the province, or between two provinces.

11. Savings banks.

12. Shop, auctioneers', and other licences, in order to the raising. of a revenue for provincial, local, or municipal purposes.

13. Local works and undertakings of various kinds.

14. The incorporation of Companies with provincial objects.

15. The solemnisation of marriage in the province.

16. Property and civil rights in the province.

17. The administration of justice in the province, including the constitution, maintenance, and organisation of Provincial Courts, both of civil and of criminal jurisdiction, and including procedure in civil matters in these Courts. Each province to have two judges, at least.

18. The imposition of punishment, by fine, penalty, or imprisonment, for enforcing any law of the province, made in relation to any matter coming within any of the classes of subjects enumerated in the section.

19. All matters of a merely local or private nature in the province.

AGRICULTURE AND EMIGRATION.

In each province the Legislature may make laws in relation to Agriculture in the province.

EDUCATION.

In and for each province the Legislature may exclusively make laws in relation to Education, subject and according to the following provisions:-

(1.) Nothing in any such law should prejudicially affect any right or privilege with respect to Denominational Schools which any class of persons have by law in the province.

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(2.) All the powers, privileges, and duties by Law conferred
and imposed on the Separate Schools and School Trustees
of the Queen's Roman Catholic subjects to be extended
to the Dissentient Schools of the Queen's Protestant and
Roman Catholic subjects in Ireland.

(3.) Where in any province a system of Separate or Dissentient
Schools exists by Law at the date of the Act or is thereafter
established by the Legislature of the province, an appeal
to lie to the Lord-Lieutenant from any act or decision of
any Provincial Authority affecting any right or privilege
of the Protestant or Roman Catholic minority of the
Queen's subjects in relation to Education:
(4.) In case any such Provincial Law as from time to time
seems to the Lord-Lieutenant requisite is not made, or in
case any decision of the Lord-Lieutenant on any appeal is
not duly executed by the proper provincial Authority in
that behalf, then and in every such case, and as far only
as the circumstances of each case require, the Legislative
Assembly may make remedial laws for the due execution
of the provisions of the Act and of any decision of the
Lord-Lieutenant under it.

UNIT OF VALUE FOR VOTE.

Assuming the whole amount of direct taxation on real property in Ireland, including Imperial and Local Taxes, to be £3,512,445, it would give at the rate of 13s. 7d. per head of the total population of 5,166,125 souls. Taking the total estimated number of males to be 2,533,277, the rate of tax per head would amount to £1. 78. 8d. Spreading the tax through all the males of 21 years and upwards, viz., 1,288,479, it would come to £2. 14s. 6d. per man.

Assuming that the Imperial and Local Taxation on real property in individual cases will very much vary in amount, and that the numbers who will pay in rates and taxes the sum of £2. 14s. 6d. will be comparatively very small, it would seem that a mean amount should be taken between the lower rate of 13s. 7d. and the higher one of £2. 14s. 6d., to obtain in practice a fair unit of value for a vote. The sum of £1 as a unit of value would probably meet the requirement, it being understood that all broken money, either above or below the pound sterling, would be lost for voting purposes, and not allowed to count.

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