Sir, I beg to support this Amendment for the reasons that we have noticed that there has been a large body of opinion against a Second Chamber in the provinces. They do not want Second Chambers at all and therefore, it has been left to the provinces themselves to have Second chambers or not. Even as regards those who may start a Second Chamber, it is open to them after a period to resolve that there will be no Second Chamber. It is also open to any province which did not start with a Second Chamber to have a Second Chamber. When there is so much divided opinion in regard to this matter and the Second Chamber is intended only for delaying and to avoid certain mistakes, is it desirable that the Second Chamber should come within the ambit of legislation? If it is an advisory body, there is every chance of all the provinces also having a Second Chamber, so that whatever mistakes or incongruities might have crept in the Lower House might be corrected by the Upper House. On the other hand the Upper House will have a dominant voice and in a case where there are sharp difference of opinion the Upper House in a State will consist of not more than 25 per cent of the number of members in the Lower House, and it is the Upper House that will decide as to which way it ought to go. A joint sitting means that it will be decided by a few persons in the Upper House and we have not as yet decided what the composition of the Upper House ought to be. I am sure the composition, whether it is incorporated in the Constitution or is brought about by an Act of Legislature, will include certain representatives who are nominated by the President or the Governor and there will be representatives for Art, Education etc. Then it may so happen that these very nominated members will ultimately decide the fate of any particular social or other piece of legislation. Therefore, even from the start a number of provinces and States might set their faces against having a Second Chamber if we clothe the Second Chamber with enormous power. The only way in which it can be avoided is to leave this matter to the provinces to decide after a period of time. And whatever has been decided by the Lower Chamber ought to become law. This Article has been copied from the practice in the House of Commons. We do not know what the composition is with respect to the USA or with respect to the various provinces in Australia. We have got only the models of both the Federal Constitution of Australia and the Federal Constitution in the U.S.A.
