In 1879 the Parliament of Victoria again re sorted to legislation in order to arrest the in flux of Chinese. Vessels were not allowed to introduce into any Victorian port more than one Chinaman per 100 tons of tonnage, and a poll tax of #10 was imposed on each immigrant on his landing. In April 1888, a Chinaman, Chun Toy, arrived in the port of Melbourne on board the British ship Afghan. The collector of cus toms considered that the Afghan had brought a larger number of Chinese than was allowed by law; he refused to allow any of them to land, or to accept the poll tax of £10 each. Chun Toy brought an action against the collector in the Supreme Court of Victoria, which decided that the action of the government in preventing the landing of the Chinese prepared to pay the pre scribed poll tax was illegal. The Victorian government appealed from this decision to the Privy Council which reversed the judgment of the Victorian court, and held (1) that the col lector of customs was under no legal obliga tion to accept payment whether tendered by the master on behalf of any such immigrant, or tendered by or for any individual immigrant; (2) that, apart from the act, an alien has not a legal right, enforceable by action, to enter Brit ish territory.
After an appeal to the constituencies in March 1880, Berry resigned, and James Service then formed a ministry. He introduced a meas ure to amend the Constitution, which upon a division was lost by two votes. Parliament was dissolved and a general election was held in June 1880, which resulted in the Berry party being returned to office with a substantial ma jority. The principal work done by the third Berry Ministry was the carrying of a bill to amend the constitution of the Legislative Coun cil by reducing the qualification of electors and of members. A bill was also passed making permanent provision for payment of members. In July 1881, the third Berry Ministry was suc ceeded by one formed by Sir Bryan O'Loughlin. The O'Loughlin ministry lost office in March 1883, when a coalition ministry under Service and Berry was formed. Under this govern ment, acts were passed for the abolition of po litical control of the government railways by placing them under the management of three independent commissioners, and for the aboli tion of patronage in the public service. During his premiership, Service took great interest in the question of Australian Federation, and through his instrumentality a convention was held in Sydney at which a scheme for the es tablishment of a Federal Council was adopted.
The Service-Berry Ministry was followed in February 1886, by the Gillies-Deakin combina tion. In 1888 another Chinese Immigration
Restriction Act was, passed providing that no vessel should enter any Victorian port having on board more than one Chinaman for every 500 tons of the tonnage of such vessel. Any Chinese who should enter Victoria by land, without first obtaining a permit in writing, from some person to be appointed by the gov ernor in Council, was declared guilty of an offense against the act, and made liable on con viction to a penalty of not less than #5 nor more than #20 and also, upon the warrant of the commissioner of trade and customs, to be re moved or deported to the colony from whence he came.
On 5 Nov. 1890, the Gillies-Deakin Ministry was succeeded by a ministry formed by James Munro, who in his turn gave place in February 1892, to one formed by William Shiels. The careers of the Shiels Ministry, the Patterson Ministry and the early part of that of the Turner Ministry, which came into office' on 27 Sept. 1894, were comparatively uneventful. In February 1895, Sir George Turner was as sociated with Reid and other premiers in a conference held at Hobart at which a Federal Enabling Bill was drafted. The first Turner Ministry was defeated in December 1899. Allen McLean's Ministry held office for a little over 11 months; during which time several con tingents were sent from Victoria to assist the British army in South Africa. On 15 Nov. 1900 Sir George Turner again became Premier in time to make arrangements for the establish ment of the Commonwealth. An Old Age Pen sion Act was passed, also bills protecting the rights and interests of Victorian public serv ants. In the beginning of 1901 Sir George Tur ner resigned the premiership and accepted office as Treasurer in the first Federal Cabinet. Sir Alexander Peacock became head of the new government. On 3 June 1902, the Peacock Ministry was displaced on a no-confidence mo tion by Mr. (now Sir) W. H. Irvine. During the career of the Irvine Ministry a railway strike occurred in Victoria which resulted in an act being passed for the separate represen tation in Parliament of railway and other public servants. On the retirement of Irvine he was succeeded by Thomas Bent who resigned and was succeeded by John Murray, who held office until May 1912, when he was succeeded by Mr. W. A. Watt, who resigned on 9 Dec. 1913. When Mr. G. A. Elmslie formed a labor ministry which was defeated by Mr. Watt who again resumed office 22 Dec. 1913. Mr. Watt resigned to enter the Federal Parliament in June 1914 and was succeeded by Sir A. J. Pea cock, who still holds office (November 1916).