it was decided that the right to a "reasonable" use of the waters of a river for the purpose of irrigation or conservation shall be preserved to the people of the colony through which it flows. The interpretation of the word "reasonable" is left to the High Court of the Commonwealth, in case of dispute.
Another question, the importance attached to which people in England will find, at first, some difficulty in understanding, was the site of the federal capital. I have before alluded to the rivalries and jealousies existing between different colonies. Nowhere has this rivalry been so manifest as between Sydney and Melbourne. So strong is it, even now, on the part of Sydney residents more especially, that if the Convention had decided that the federal capital was to be fixed in Melbourne, New South Wales would not have consented to enter into the federation. On the other hand, Melbourne residents would be very reluctant to see Sydney chosen, as it is considered that great importance would be given to the rival city if the residence of the Governor-General was fixed in that capital, and the Houses of Parliament held their sitting there.
It was resolved to leave this matter to the Federal .Parliament to settle; but a proviso was added, on the motion of Sir George Turner, the Premier of Victoria, that the site of the federal city must be federal territory. This was designed to prevent either Melbourne or Sydney becoming the capital, for neither place, of course, could afford to excise a large proportion of valuable city property from its possessions, and hand it over to the Commonwealth.
The taking over of the public debts and the railways was strongly advocated by some, but there were so many difficulties in the way that it was felt that federation
