4
marriages within certain degrees prohibited in England, and which have been duly sanctioned by the Crown. The matter is one in which there has been great interest taken, as you know, from time to time; immense interest has been taken in the Colonies in it, and the very greatest interest taken in it in England. It is a subject which has been very much debated, and upon which very great difference of opinion prevails. But be that as it may, the Colonies now for many years have had a law in force permitting the marriage of a man and his deceased wife’s sister, which has been sanctioned by the Crown, and in spite of these laws being validly made in the Colonies, and being properly sanctioned, they still fail in obtaining that recognition in England which the Colonies think they should have. Of course, I do not wish to go over the old debateable ground, and into the argument as to whether marriage with a deceased wife’s sister is contrary to, or in accordance with the Levitical law, or into arguments of that description. I fancy even in England they are scarcely referred to very much at the present time, but I wish to put the matter before the Government and the Conference, simply upon the ground that this time, when England and her Colonies are drawing so much more closely together than they have been before, would be a fitting time to remove what I think is a great anomaly in the laws of England and Australia upon a matter of great vital moment, and upon a matter in which the people of both countries take the very greatest interest. As far as the history of the legislation of the Colonies is concerned, it is in a sufficiently small compass. South Australia, the Colony which I represent, was the first, I think, to pass a statute permitting these marriages. For four different sessions of Parliament the statute was passed, and after four different
