South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), Friday 1 July 1853, page 3


FURTHER PROROGATION OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

By a proclamation of His Excellency the Governor, which appears in the Government Gazette of yesterday, the Legislative Council has been further prorogued to the 21st July

to afford an opportunity for filling up th vacancies in the representation of Port Adelaide, Victoria, and Light. As Capt. Bagot has declared his intention to resign his seat for Light, and as it is possible that no great delay will take place in completing the resignation of Captain Hall for the Port, it is presumed that the necessary arrangements can be made for the return of the new members for these places before the meeting of the Council. With regard to Victoria, however, there will be more difficulty. Through some want of proper organization a considerable portion Df the constituency of that district has been disfranchised. The number of voters, however, is probably not so small as has been supposed for the last few days. In addition to the three gentlemen who, it has been generally understood, had the political destinies of this particular district under their control, there are sixty-six names on the .first list, returned from the neighbourhood of -Robe Town, which will still stand, except in cases where some change of qualification may have taken place. Should it be ascertained that a number of persons in the southern part of the district are yet qualified to vote,, it will be necessary that two polling places should be appointed, in which case the return of a candidate would jiot be effected before the meeting of Council ; ' but if it turns out that the entire voting is limited to the priveleged three, then we suppose that Adelaide would afford room enough for the business of the election, and that the fortunate representative of this large constituency would be enabled to commence his important duties before the subject of the New Constitution was brought under consideration. The best and only fair course for the Governor to pursue with regard to Victoria would be to call for a fresh registration, so that the interests of a large proportion of the settlers might not go unrepresented through the ignorance or blundering of a clerk ; the cause of the present disfranchisement being that some of the lists were not. delivered in time for the Court of Revision. The Court sat on the 28th of April, and the lists were not sent in until the 7th of May.